Dead sea is dying

The salty inland lake bordering the nations dropped a record 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) over the last 12 months because of industry use and evaporation, the Hydrological Service of Israel said. That's the steepest Dead Sea decline since data-keeping started in the 1950s. Half the drop was caused by Israel Chemicals Ltd. and Jordan's Arab Potash Company, said Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of the Friends of Earth Middle East. "This is unacceptable and speaks to the urgency of the need to force industry to change their extraction process,- Bromberg said in an interview from Tel Aviv. The makers of potash, a raw material for fertiliser, are competing for water with a centuries-old tourism industry on the Dead Sea, Israel's most crowded leisure destination last year with 857,000 visitors. That's more packed than Tel Aviv and Eilat's beach resorts, the Tourism Ministry said. It isn't only pumping causing the degradation of the Dead Sea, a biblical refuge for King David. On the north shore of the Dead Sea, 75 kilometres (47 miles) long 50 years ago and 55 kilometres now according to the environmental group, spas offer the medicinal benefits of mud baths and mineral springs. Those wanting to bob in waters about 10 times as salty as the ocean must either ride in a cart for several minutes or take a hike that's a little longer. Dead Sea Works, owned by Israel Chemicals, denied any increased pumping, saying it has used 150 million to 170 million cubic meters a year from the sea for two decades. "The main reason for the declining sea level is the increased usage of the water that used to flow to the Dead Sea in the past, especially from the Jordan River, by all countries in the region,- the company said in an emailed statement. It's already paying to use Dead Sea water through royalties that it said have doubled since the beginning of the year -” Dead Sea Works said. Israel Chemicals agreed in December that royalty payments on potash production above certain levels would double to 10 per cent. "Charging the Dead Sea Works per water usage by cubic metre will not affect the pumping volume since the amount of pumping is a function of the evaporation ponds' surface area and changing climate conditions alone,- it said. "We're keen on doing all possible to preserve the Dead Sea, which is shrinking annually,- Issa Shboul, spokesperson of Jordan's Ministry of Environment, said by phone. "We regularly request the potash companies and other companies that benefit from the Dead Sea water for their business to adopt the latest technological advances to reduce the negative impact on the Dead Sea level,- Shboul said. Jordan and Israel should reinvigorate a joint committee that hasn't met for more than a decade to work on developing extraction techniques that use less water, Bromberg said. Israel's Environment Ministry said it's working on a proposal with the government that examines the use of all resources, including phosphates and mineral water. Israel allocated 850 million shekels ($223 million) this year to rehabilitate and develop the Dead Sea's tourism potential. About one-third of the Dead Sea's surface area has disappeared and sinkholes are increasingly common as the waters shrink amid drought, agricultural diversion, largely from the Jordan River, and pumping to extract minerals for fertilisers. From Times Of Oman