The River Jordan is being heavily diverted for water irrigation, which has led the Dead Sea’s water levels to drop by about a metre every 12 months. The middle-eastern nations have reacted quickly, and signed an agreement that might just bring the Dead Sea back.

Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authorities have signed a “water sharing pact” which will see a pipeline carry brine from a desalination plant at the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, while providing drinking water to the region.

Critics have voiced concerns, however, that the water-sharing will inevitably have an impact on the Dead Sea’s fragile ecosystem.

With peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians not going very well at all, the water-sharing agreement offers the genuine prospect of successful co-operation at a time of political difficulty.

The agreement was signed on Monday at the headquarters of the World Bank in Washington DC. The project is expected to cost $250m-$400m.

[Source : BBC]