Environment and Water Resources in the Jordan Valley and Its Impact on the Dead Sea Situation

Abstract

The hydrologically and the environmentally degraded situation of the Dead Sea is reflected by the hydrogeological situation in the Upper and Lower Jordan Valley and the surrounding basin of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, with a drainage area of around 42,200 km², is mainly fed by the Jordan River from the north and from side wadis in the east and west. With a surface runoff from 1,000 mio m³/year (before 1950) to less than 200 mio m³/year nowadays, it is clear why the water level in the Dead Sea is lowering and its surface is declining. Due to the continuous decrease of water runoff into the Jordan Valley and the side wadis, the surface water level of the Dead Sea is declined by around 1 m a year, and this caused more than 25 m decline of the Dead Sea level in the last 30 years. Geoelectric sounding measurements by Jordanian research teams showed that areas underlying the coastal aquifers formerly occupied by the Dead Sea water are gradually becoming flushed and occupied by fresh water. The latter is becoming salinized due to the residuals of Dead Sea salted water in the aquifer matrix, showing a lower salinity than that of the Dead Sea water. The salt dissolution from the Lisan Marl formation through the surface and groundwater movement is causing collapses along the shorelines in form of sinkholes. These sinkholes are tens of meters in diameter and depth and cause damages to roads, parks and agriculture areas. The sinkholes are threatening the increased urban and touristic activities in the Dead Sea area. The activities of the mineral extraction industry and the increasing of needed fresh water supply for the tourism and agriculture and urban development exploit the resources of the Dead Sea without consideration of the natural needs of the Dead Sea. Without any dramatic change of the present unsustainable development policies of the Dead Sea area, a tragedy ­ending by drying of the Dead Sea will be the consequence in less than a century. The Planned Red – Dead Sea project can be a solution to ease the deteriorating ­situation of the Dead Sea.