Sinkholes, Depletion, & Waste: Dead Sea Vanishing, But Israel Doesn't Have Concrete Plans to Save It

The Dead Sea, one of Israel's main tourist attractions and the world's lowest point, has been shrinking for years.

Giant sinkholes have already swallowed up several beaches and the sea, known for its mineral-rich water and mud, has so far lost some 25 metres since the 1990s, according to EcoPeace Middle East.

Depleting Resources

Leehee Goldenberg, attorney and head of energy, economics, and natural resources at Adam, Teva V'Din, an Israeli NGO that fights to strengthen the country's environmental protection, says the situation might only get worse with time.

"It is difficult to say when the Dead Sea is going to disappear. Of course, it will never shrink completely, but some say that 150 or 200 years from now it will turn into a puddle".

There are two major factors contributing to the current crisis. The first is that the water that used to flow into the Dead Sea has been dammed and diverted upstream by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority, who use it for personal, industrial and agricultural purposes.

A man looks at AHAVA Dead Sea cosmetic products manufactured in the Israeli Kibbutz settlement of Mitzpe Shalem in the Dead Sea resort of Kalya. (File)

The second issue is that Israel and Jordan have set up multiple factories in the area that continue to pump significant quantities of water from it, without thinking about the repercussions.

"Right now we have a situation in which water doesn't flow into the Dead Sea. At the same time, water is also being pumped [out], so the result is that this resource - which has been one of Israel's symbols - has been depleted".

Not at the Top of the Agenda

The problem, says the expert, is that Israel has not put the issue at the top of the nation's agenda.

"The state has not taken a clear-cut decision to save or rehabilitate the Dead Sea. It views the area as an economic asset and a source of money, so it lets factories keep pumping water from the sea".

Every year, factories near the Dead Sea pump some 400 million cubic metres of water, which they use for manufacturing cosmetics. Interestingly enough, Israeli law has never limited the amount they can use, and various NGOs, including Adam, Teva V'Din, have been fighting to change that.

Those efforts, however, have largely proven to be futile, and Goldenberg says this situation cannot continue for long.

"Naturally, we will never be able to lift the water level in the Dead Sea, especially not now, when there is a water shortage in the area and when the climate crisis is raging. But we need to find a way to stabilise it. And there are ways to do it".

One such potential solution is a costly and rather sophisticated idea to desalinate water from the Mediterranean, and then pump it into the Sea of Galilee from where it would reach the Dead Sea.

Another is by coming up with laws and regulations that would limit the ability of factories to pump water from the Dead Sea.

"If we really want to save this resource, we need to make decisions and come up with solutions. The Dead Sea is the symbol of Israel. It is a historic and national resource that needs to be protected".

Dead Sea

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"Right now people don't see the problem because it exists but things are changing and I hope that by raising awareness, we will manage to divert a deeper crisis".