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过去十年中，死海沿海平原附近已经出现了成千上万的落水洞。死海一侧的约旦大约有800个落水洞，死海另一侧的以色列和巴勒斯坦大约有1200个落水洞。死海正慢慢走向“死亡”，因此必须立即采取措施以防止它完全干涸。对此，有人建议将红海的水引到死海，以防止这场生态灾难的发生。
死海慢慢走向死亡
死海，也被称为盐海。死海是内陆湖，位于约旦、以色列和西岸地区之间的约旦裂谷。湖面海拔约为负420米——是地球陆地上的最低点。最深处377米，是世界上最深的咸水湖。死海盐分高达33.7%，是地球上盐分最高的水体之一。约旦河——耶稣受洗的圣地——是流入死海的主要支流，也是其唯一的大水源。
20世纪50年代，死海的水位开始下降。根据约旦伊里亚斯萨拉迈大学的地质学教授的研究，死海从1960年到2000年之间从海拔负392米降到了负412米。更糟的是，下降速度还在加快。据统计，自2000年以来已经下降了约一米。总之，自20世纪30年代初起，死海水位已下降30多米。尽管死海还很深，不太可能完全消失，但如果不采取任何措施，死海将在未来50年内干涸。
人为因素
死海水位大幅下降是因为近年来从约旦河流入的水量大幅下降。“毫无疑问，人类活动影响了水流正常流到死海，从而破坏了水平衡。可以说，这是人类的错。”以色列内盖夫本古里安大学的环境地球化学家甘纳表示。该地区的国家，如以色列、约旦和叙利亚从约旦河及其支流转移了大约98%的水量。
1951年，约旦宣布计划兴建阿朴杜拉国王运河工程，原名为东古尔运河工程，从约旦河的主要支流耶尔穆克河调水，为大安曼地区人们提供饮用水以及为约旦河谷东古尔地区提供灌溉用水。塔拉勒国王大坝跨越扎尔卡河修建，这是另一条流入约旦河的主要河流，向阿朴杜拉国王运河（KAC）工程输水，以满足该国日益增加的用水量。这些项目直接减少了流入约旦河的水量。
1953年9月，为了响应KAC工程的建设，以色列发起了名为国家水渠的调水工程，该工程位于约旦河流域内，在雅各布福特从约旦河引水，以帮助浇灌沿岸的沙伦平原和内盖夫沙漠。每年，以色列从加利利海引走七亿立方米的水量，该海是死海的主要水源。
1980年，叙利亚为了农业灌溉开始在耶尔穆克河上游地域建设一系列小型蓄水坝，现在已建成48座水坝，钻了3500口井来抽取耶尔穆克河流域的水。这也使得约旦河受到来自沿岸居民倾倒未经处理的污水和废物的污染，圣河成了被污染的细流，在夏天甚至流不到死海。结果，曾经每年有13亿立方米流量的约旦河，现在只有200万至300万立方米的水量流至死海。
工业活动也导致死海走向死亡。死海化工厂和阿拉伯钾肥公司之类的企业使用大规模的蒸发池，使死海的水分蒸发，从而提取水下利润丰厚的矿物，如钾肥、氯化镁和海盐，用于工业活动中化学产品和美容产品的生产。这些企业让曾经是死海南部一部分的海成了大型工业用地。
气候变化
事实上，死海走向死亡是由于人为因素和气候变化的共同作用。随着气候变化的加剧，以色列变得更加干旱、降水减少。根据以色列政府发布的《地中海和约旦河之间的天然水资源》报告显示，1973-1992年相较于1993-2009年期间，平均每年的降雨总补给量从1，643，000立方米/年剧烈下降到了1，848，000立方米/年。
约旦气象部门主任阿布·海济在2010年告诉《约旦时报》：“2010年是约旦河最热的一年，与前几年相比，这期间气温高于往年平均气温，降雨量也更少。”阿布·海济在这次采访中指出，2010年的雨季（以色列的11月至4月）是1998-1999年冬天以来最干旱的，全国降雨量只有长期年均80亿毫米的44%。
其实，以色列越来越干旱在该地区并非单一现象。一般而言，约旦河流域降雨量显著下降时气候就更为干旱。降水严重减少最终降低了流入约旦河的水量和流入死海的淡水量。
由于该地区变得干燥，用水量的需求增加，人们便从约旦河及其支流抽取更多的水。该地区本来降水就偏少，这使得流入死海的淡水更少，死海的水位进一步下降。目前，死海获得的淡水基本上来自地下泉水和雨水。约旦河的淡水供应不足，不能取代蒸发掉的水分，海水变得更咸更油腻，从而导致死海萎缩。
从红海向死海引水
科学家们估计，死海在未来二十年每年至少需要6.5亿立方米的供水量，才能稳定水位。然而，死海传统的淡水提供者——约旦河正在干涸，不再供应足够的水量来稳定死海的水位。约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦当局提出了两个与水有关的项目，红海-死海运河和约旦河-红海工程，让死海复活。
死海引水初步计划
引水至死海的大部分初步计划都侧重于从地中海到死海的运河。兴建一条运河连接地中海、红海和死海的想法是由英国军事工程师海军上将威廉·艾伦在1855年首次提出的，以作为替代当时苏伊士运河的计划。后来，许多工程师和政治家提出了同样的想法。
其中，一位政治犹太复国主义的创始人西奥多·赫茨尔。他于1902年在其小说《特拉维夫》中将这一想法正式化，提出建立水电站引水渠道连接地中海和死海。他写道，可以利用两海之间约400米的自然高差生产水电。后来，人们一再重温这个想法。
20世纪50年代，美国著名土壤专家沃尔特·罗德民对穿过地中海、内盖夫沙漠和死海的运河进行了研究，得出了400米的高差可能产生100兆电力的结论。
红海-死海运河
尽管这些研究还没有运用到真正的项目中，但人们没有忘记它们。当20世纪80年代死海的水位下降明显以及落水洞问题引起更多公众关注的时候，在约旦河谷管理局的要求下，对死海的补给研究又重新开始了。这项研究最终由芝加哥哈扎工程公司完成，但研究主要集中于红海-死海地区，而非地中海。
1998年，以色列、约旦以及巴勒斯坦权力机构就修建运河进行了严肃的讨论。约旦和以色列在2002年约翰内斯堡世界峰会上宣布要合力保护死海。2005年，约旦、以色列政府和巴勒斯坦权力机构就关于将红海海水从110公里外引到死海以补充死海的项目的可行性研究达成一致。 该计划是将红海海水从约旦的阿卡巴湾引出，用水泵将海水抽到海拔170米，然后让水落入海拔负420米的死海。项目涉及一条长180公里的埋设管道，每年将有20亿立方米的海水从红海的阿卡巴湾抽出，途径约旦，流入死海。该项目包括一个550兆瓦发电量的电厂，用于为抽取海水和淡化海水提供电力。
修建向下管道的目的是在水流下时为水电站提供动力，从而为海水淡化厂提供电力。海水淡化厂年净水能力为8亿5千万立方米，因此45%的海水将被净化为淡水，并通过两条淡水运输管道提供给最终用户。每年还将有11亿立方米的海水从净化厂排出，通过7千米的运河被输送到死海，以补充蒸发的海水。
该工程能够为约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦领土提供新的淡水资源，满足他们长远的淡水需要。项目完成后，死海的水位也将在20年内从海拔-417米上升到海拔-400米。
约旦-红海工程
红海-死海运河经历了两年的可行性研究，该研究得到约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦的一致同意，本该在2010年结束。然而，约旦人决定创立一个类似的工程。2009年5月，约旦在世界经济论坛非正式会议上宣布了约旦-红海工程的计划。
约旦-红海工程的目的是将红海海水抽取到净化厂进行净化，以解决约旦严重的淡水短缺问题。项目将在第一阶段，即2014年以前每年提供1亿2千万立方米的淡水。完全运行后，每年将提供7亿立方米淡水。同时，海水淡化厂排出的海水将通过管道输送到死海，以减缓水面的降低。在约旦-红海工程的第一阶段，海水淡化厂产生的淡水将用于周围其他项目的发展和周边城市需要。
尽管约旦-红海工程和红海-死海运河工程有重合的地方，比如它们都需要将红海海水抽出，但专家称两个项目可以同时实施。约旦政府表示约旦-红海工程可以被看成是红海-死海工程的第一阶段。
政治工程而非环境工程
从古至今，水一直是局势紧张的一个根源，也是冲突产生的一个因素。随着中东地区水资源匮乏的极速加剧，该地区国家对水的争夺也愈演愈烈。世界银行前副总裁萨拉杰丁早在一九九五年就预言：“如果本世纪的战争是争抢石油，下个世纪的战争将是水资源的争夺。”已故约旦国王侯赛因和已故埃及总统安瓦尔·萨达特分别表示过唯一能让他们和以色列开战的原因就是水。因此，淡水是地区稳定的关键因素。
地区稳定
约旦将红海-死海运河视为缓解水资源严重短缺的重要步骤。根据该计划，工程完成后将能生产8亿5千万立方米淡水，三分之二分给约旦，剩余部分分别给以色列和巴勒斯坦权力机构。这可以缓解约旦，以色列和巴勒斯坦地区的缺水状况。因此，淡水分配方面的紧张将得到缓解，而这个“唯一引起战争的因素”也就随之消失了。
中东地区国与国之间关系并不友好。这一工程则为该地区的合作带来了曙光。红海-死海运河的实现，需要以色列、约旦和巴勒斯坦的彼此合作，因为运河途径约旦，沿着以色列和巴勒斯坦边界开凿。而且，死海属于三个国家共有。因此，工程尚在襁褓之中就被视作地区合作的典范，被称为“和平运河”。
如果该运河系统和水资源分配系统能够扩大到分别拥有尼罗河和利塔尼河的埃及和黎巴嫩，那么未来这一地区的水资源短缺的问题将得以解决。该运河将有望点亮这一地区的和平进程并成为以色列和其他阿拉伯国家之间和平协议的必不可少的一部分。
随着沙漠饮用水问题的解决，其他运河附属工程也可以启动，例如绿洲和度假村等，城市发展也将成为可能。巨大的工程需要大量劳动力，也将刺激地区经济的发展。人们的生活环境也将改善，“阿拉伯之春”表明，贫穷和失业是动荡的根源。对地区发展的刺激将引领地区的未来与和平。
政治形象工程
对于约旦政府来说，这条运河不仅仅能够带来地区的稳定，更是重要的政治形象工程。耶路撒冷希伯来大学的土壤和水科学教授Avner Adin说：“运河成功为约旦提供水资源，将成为约旦国王和政府的巨大成就。它能够提升约旦人的自信心，加强政府的合法性。”
对于以色列来说，运河将会改变它在阿拉伯国家中的印象和形象。运河将会影响到约旦河西岸和加沙地带的大部分人口，因此以色列政府邀请巴勒斯坦权力机构共同参与到协商中来。但是以色列从来没把他们当做平等的合作伙伴。以色列地区发展部的官员说：“如果巴勒斯坦权力机构愿意加入我们，我们表示欢迎。但是真正的合作者是以色列和约旦。”以色列政府还没有给予巴勒斯坦权力机构同等地位而与其达成任何协议。对于以色列来说，运河工程是一项形象工程，而不是环境工程。
如果没有共同拥有死海的约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦三方受益人的真诚合作很容易被破坏的，运河工程可能会成为恐怖袭击的目标。中东地球之友负责人Gidon Bromberg警告说：“埃及的天然气管道被破坏很多次就是一个例子。”
对环境的影响
一些环保主义者担心运河带来的环境影响，其中包括中东地球之友的主席Munqeth Mehyar，他将红海-死海工程描述为“非环保型”，原因是抽取海水将势必影响海洋环境，也会影响阿卡巴湾的珊瑚礁。
另一个大隐忧就是红海海水和死海海水的混合。巨大的海水注入会改变死海海水的化学组成，而死海海水正是以含有丰富的矿物质而闻名。将海水注入死海会带来额外的钙、硫 和石膏等，这些化学变化的影响还不清楚。
以色列班古里昂大学水研究院院长Eilon Adar则担心运河的位置。运河处于阿拉瓦山谷，这里由于地处叙利亚-非洲裂缝，很容易发生地震。如果地震或其他不可预知的灾难造成运河渗漏，海水将会淹没阿拉瓦山谷，并将该地地下的全部或大部分淡水污染。
运河工程通过管道将红海和死海连接起来，这是拯救死海的方法之一，但是许多其他的选择却被忽视了，例如约旦的蓄水工程，这将是补充死海更加自然的方法，能够避免围绕运河产生的许多环境担忧。然而，运河工程涉及的政治因素却使其他也许是更好的恢复死海的方法黯然失色。 Revitalizing the Dead Sea
Reported by Tung Hing Sum Transtated by Zhong Yulan and He Chenxu
Thousands of sinkholes have appeared over the past decade around the Dead Sea’s coastal plain， around 800 sink holes on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea and another 1，200 on the Israeli and Palestinian side. The continuing of slow “death” of the Dead Sea requires an immediate response before the sea totally dries up. Therefore， channeling water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea is suggested in order to prevent this ecological disaster from happening.
Slow Death of the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea， also called the Salt Sea， is an endorheic basin， locating in the Jordan Rift Village and between the east of Jordan and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are at roughly 420 meters below sea level — the lowest terrestrial point on the planet. Its deep is 377 meters， the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity， it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. The Jordan River --- the river where Jesus was baptized --- is the main tributary of the Dead Sea， and the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea.
The water level of Dead Sea began to drop in the 1950s. According to the geology professor at the University of Jordan Elias Salameh， the Dead Sea dropped from 392meters below sea level to 412meters between 1960 and 2000. Even worse， that rate has accelerated and has dropped about a meter a year since 2000. Overall， the water level has dropped more than 30 meters since the early 1930s. Although the Dead Sea is deep enough and remains unlikely to completely disappear， if nothing is done it will have almost dried up within the next 50 years.
Human factors
The significant drop of the water level of Dead Sea is a result of a sharp decrease in water inflow from the River Jordan in recent year. Human activities without a doubt contribute to this disruption of water inflow into the Dead Sea. "There is no doubt that human intervention in the water balance has caused the disruption，" said Jiwchar Ganor， an environmental geochemist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. "There's no question. It's our fault."
Countries in the region like Israel， Jordan and Syria are diverting more than 98 percent of the flow from the Jordan.
In 1951， Jordan announced its plan to construct the King Abdullah Canal （KAC）， formerly known as East Ghor Canal， to divert water from the Yarmouk River， a main tributary of the Jordan River， to supply drinking water for people in the Greater Amman area and to irrigate the East Ghor area of the Jordan Valley. The King Talal Dam was built across the Zarqa， another major river flowing into the Jordan， to divert water to the KAC to meet the country's increased water demands. These projects directly reduces amount of water feeding the Jordan River. In September 1953， in response to the construction of KAC， Israel started the National Water Carrier， a water diversion project within the Jordan River basin to divert water from the Jordan River at Jacob's Ford， in order to help irrigate the coastal Sharon Plain and eventually the Negev desert. Each year， Israel withdraws about 700 million cubic meters from the Sea of Galilee， a main water source of the Dead Sea.
In 1980 Syria began to construct a series of small impoundment dams on the headwaters of the Yarmouk within its territory for the purpose of agriculture. Now， 48 dams have been built. Around 3，500 wells were drilled to pump water from the Yarmouk river basin.
This， along with the dumping of untreated sewage and waste by people living along the Jordan， has also turned the holy river to a polluted dribble that doesn’t even reach the Dead Sea anymore during the summer months.
As a result， the Jordan once had a flow of 1.3 billion cubic metres a year， but now discharges only an estimated 20 million to 30 million cubic metres into the Dead Sea.
Industrial activities also contribute to the dying of Dead Sea. Companies like Dead Sea Works and the Arab Potash Company are using massive evaporation pools to vaporize the water from the Dead Sea to extract the lucrative minerals like such as potash， magnesium chloride and sea salt that beneath the water. The minerals are used to produce chemical products for industrial activities and for making beauty products. The work of these companies has turned what once was the southern portion of the sea into a massive industrial site.
Climate Change
In fact， the Dead Sea is drying down from both human factors and climate change. With climate change， Israel has become more arid and less precipitation. A comparison between the period of 1973 - 1992 and the period of 1993-2009， the total average annual recharge from rainfall has decreased dramatically from 1，848 to 1，643 mcm/yr， in accordance with the report “The Natural Water Resources between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River” released by the Israeli government.
"The year 2010 was the hottest year Jordan has ever witnessed， during which temperatures remained above their annual average and rainfall was lower， compared to previous years，" Director of the Jordan Meteorological Department Abu Hazim told The Jordan Times in 2010. Abu Hazim noted in the same interview that the wet season （from November to April in Israel） of 2010 is the driest since the 1998-1999 winter， the country received only 44 per cent of the long-term annual average of eight billion millimetres of rainfall. And the fact that Israel is getting drier is not a single phenomenon in the region. The Jordan River Basin in general is exposing to a drier climate with a significant decline of rainfall. The severe reduction of precipitation eventually reduces the flow of water of the Jordan and the amount of fresh water flowing into the Dead Sea.
As the region becomes drier， the demand of water increases. People withdraw more water from the Jordan and its tributaries. This， with the low precipitation in the region， makes less fresh water available for the Dead Sea. The water level of Dead Sea drops even further.
Today the only fresh water the Dead Sea gets is from underground springs and rainwater. With inadequate fresh water from the Jordan to replace the water lost from the evaporation， the sea has become more salty and oleaginous， and as a result， the Dead Sea is shrinking.
Channeling Water from
the Red Sea to
the Dead Sea
Scientists estimate that the Dead Sea needs at least 650 million cubic meters of water per year in order to stabilize over the next two decades. However， the Jordan， the traditional fresh water provider of the Dead Sea， is drying out and no longer provides enough water to stabilize the Dead Sea. Jordan， Israel and the Palestinian Authority proposed two water-related projects， the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal and the Jordan Red Sea Project （JRSP）， to resurrect the Dead Sea.
Initial Plans to Channel Water to the Dead Sea
Most initial plans to channel the fresh sea water to the Dead Sea focused on a canal from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea.
The idea of constructing a canal to link Mediterranean and Red Seas and the Dead Sea was first proposed by a British military engineer Admiral William Allen in the 1855， as an alternative to the then-planned Suez Canal. Later， many engineers and politicians suggested the same idea.
One of those politicians was Theodore Herzl， the founder of political Zionism. He formalized the idea of a hydropower canal connecting the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea in his novel Altneuland in 1902. He wrote that it would be possible to use the natural elevation difference between the two seas， roughly about the 400-meter drop， to produce hydroelectric energy. And this idea was consistently revisited.
In the 1950s， Walter C. Lowdermilk， a renowned American expert on soil conservation， conducted a research on canal stretching from the Mediterranean， across the Negev Desert， to the Dead Sea. He concluded that the 400-meter drop could generate about 100 megawatts of electric power. The Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal
Even though none of these researches were turned into a real project， they were not forgotten. When the dropping of the Dead Sea’s water level became so significant and the problem of sinkholes drew more public attention， the research of replenishing the Dead Sea was renewed at the request of the Jordan Valley Authority in the 1980s and the research was finalized by the Harza Engineering of Chicago in 1996. But the research focused on the Red Sea – Dead Sea option， rather than the Mediterranean option.
In 1998， Israel， Jordan， and the Palestinian Authority began serious discussion on building a canal. Jordan and Israel announced to join force to protect the Dead Sea in the Johannesburg World Summit 2002. In 2005， the governments of Jordan and Israel， and the Palestinian Authorities together agreed on the terms of reference for a program to study the possibility of a water conveyance project that would bring water about 110 miles from the Red Sea to replenish the Dead Sea Red-Dead option.
The proposed plan was to draw water from the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan， pump the seawater 170 meters above sea level and then let the water fall to the Dead Sea at 400 meters below sea level. The project involves of a 180-kilometer long buried pipeline， which will carry up to 2 billion cubic meters （m3） of sea water per year from the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea through Jordanian territory to the Dead Sea.
The project includes a 550 MW power plant， which will provide electricity for pumping the water and power for the desalination plant.
The reason of setting up the downward pipeline so that a hydroelectric plant can be powered by the water drop that would， in turn， power a desalination plant. The desalination plant has an annual capacity of 850 million m?， therefore roughly 45% of seawater will be recovered as fresh water which provides to the end-users through two freshwater conveyance lines.
1100 million m? per year of brine from the desalination plant will also be discharged into the Dead Sea via a 7 km canal， replenishing water that is evaporating from the sea.
As a result of the project， an additional freshwater resource is created to meet the long-term water needs of Jordan， Israel， and Palestinian Territories. The Dead Sea water level is also expected to rise from 417 m to 400 meters below sea level during the 20-year filling stage after the project is completed. Jordan Red Sea Project
The study of Red Sea – Dead Sea canal was subjected to a two-year feasibility study agreed by the Jordanians， Israelis and Palestinians and should be finalized in 2010. However， the Jordanians have decided to launch a similar project. In May 2009 at side event of the World Economic Forum， Jordan announced its plans to construct the JRSP.
The JRSP aims to address Jordan’s severe water shortage by pumping water from the Red Sea through pipelines to a desalination plant. The project is designed to provide 120 million m? of water annually in its first phase by the year 2014 and expanding to 700 million m? annually when fully operational. Meanwhile， the brine from the desalination plant will be discharged through pipelines into the Dead Sea to lower the decline in its water levels.
Under the first phase of the JRSP， water generated from the desalination plant was allocated for surrounding development projects and nearby cities.
Although there is some overlap between the JRSP and the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal project as both require water to be pumped out of the Red Sea， experts say two projects can be implemented simultaneously. According to the Jordanian government， JRSP could be considered as the first phase of the Red Sea–Dead Sea Project.
A Political Project Rather
Than an Environmental Project
Water has been a source of tension and a factor of conflict throughout of history. With water availability shrinking rapidly in Middle East， the violent conflict among states in the region over water is getting more surreal than ever. As early as 1995， the then Vice President of World Bank Ismail Serageldin once famously said “if the wars of this century were fought over oil， the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” The late King Hussein of Jordan and the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat respectively， said that the only thing that would make them go to war with Israel would be water. Therefore， the fresh water is the key to the regional stability.
Regional Stability
Jordan regards the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal as an essential step in alleviating the country’s severe shortage of water. According to the plan， 850 million m? fresh water can be generated when the project complete， two third of these water will go to Jordan， the remaining will split between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It can reverse the water deficit in Jordan， Israel and Palestine. As a result， the tension over sharing freshwater in the region will be eased and the “only factor of going to war” will subsequently disappear. The region is not known for the friendly cross-broader relations. The project therefore brings light to the regional cooperation. In order to make the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal success， it would require cooperation between Israel， Jordan， and the Palestinian Authority， as the canal will be on Jordanian territory， following the line of the border with Israel and the Palestinian. Furthermore， the Dead Sea is shared by the 3 authorities. Therefore， the project in an earlier incarnation has been quickly hailed as an example of regional cooperation and has been dubbed as the "peace canal”.
And if the canal system and the water distribution system are expanded to Egypt and Lebanon， which control the Nile River and the Litani River respectively， in the future， it may be a solution of the problem of water scarcity in the region. The canal can hopefully spark the peace process in the region and become an integral part of the peace deal between Israel and the rest of Arab nations.
With drinkable water available in the desert， other affiliated projects to the canal like oasis parks and hotel resorts can begin， urban development also becomes possible. Large scale projects will require a lot of workers for constructions and will also stimulate the regional economy. People’s living conditions in the region can so be improved. As we have seen in the “Arab Spring”， poverty and unemployment can be the source of instability. The stimulation of regional development can lead to prospect and peace to the region.
Political Image Project
For the Jordanian government， the canal is more than bringing stability to the region， but an important political image project. Avner Adin， a professor of soil and water sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said that it “will be a big achievement for the Jordanian king and government that they succeeded in providing water to Jordan.” It can boost the confidence of the Jordanians and strengthen the legitimacy of the government.
For Israel， the project is to change the perception and the image of Israel in the Arab world. As the canal will affect the majority populations of the West Bank and Gaza Strip， the Israeli government invite the Palestinian Authority to participate in the negotiations of canal. But they have never been considered as an equal partner by the Israeli government. “If the Palestinian Authority would like to join us， they’re most welcome. But the real partners are Israel and Jordan，” Silvan Shalom， the Israeli minister for regional development， said. The government of Israel is not ready to enter any treaty with the Palestinian Authority with an equal status. This project for Israel is considered as an image project rather than an environmental project. Without a sincere cooperation between the three beneficiaries， namely Jordan， Israel and Palestinian who share the Dead Sea， the project may be undermined by terrorist attack as the infrastructure is a vulnerable target for the attack. “The Egyptian gas pipeline destroyed several times is a case in point，” Gidon Bromberg， director of FoEME-Israel warned.
Environmental Implications
Environmentalists like Munqeth Mehyar， chairman and co-director of Friends of the Earth Middle East， have been worried about impacts brought by the canal. Mehyar described the Dead Sea-Red Sea project as “environmentally unfriendly”， as pumping a amount of seawater will certainly affect the marine environment and coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Another major concern is the mixing of marine water from the Red Sea with the Dead Sea water. The large influx of seawater can change the chemical make-up of Dead Sea water， which is known for its rich in minerals. As channeling sea water to the Dead Sea will add additional calcium， sulfur， and gypsum to the Dead Sea. The effects of this hydro chemical change are still unknown when the two waters mix.
Eilon Adar， director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel， is concerned about the location of the canal. Arava Valleya， the location of the canal， is an area that prone to earthquakes as a result of its part of the Syrian-African rift. If the canal leaks due to the earthquake or other unpredictable disasters， the seawater will flood the Arava Villeya and contaminate all， or at least a significant portion of， the area’s underground fresh water.
The project to link the Red Sea and the Dead Sea via pipelines is way to save the dying Dead Sea， but many other options like restoring the water flow of the Jordan like has been overlooked. And restoring the Jordan should be a more natural way of refilling the Dead Sea that avoids many environmental concerns surrounding the canal. However， the politics involved in this project has clouded other alternatives that could be a better way of revitalizing the Dead Sea.
死海慢慢走向死亡
死海，也被称为盐海。死海是内陆湖，位于约旦、以色列和西岸地区之间的约旦裂谷。湖面海拔约为负420米——是地球陆地上的最低点。最深处377米，是世界上最深的咸水湖。死海盐分高达33.7%，是地球上盐分最高的水体之一。约旦河——耶稣受洗的圣地——是流入死海的主要支流，也是其唯一的大水源。
20世纪50年代，死海的水位开始下降。根据约旦伊里亚斯萨拉迈大学的地质学教授的研究，死海从1960年到2000年之间从海拔负392米降到了负412米。更糟的是，下降速度还在加快。据统计，自2000年以来已经下降了约一米。总之，自20世纪30年代初起，死海水位已下降30多米。尽管死海还很深，不太可能完全消失，但如果不采取任何措施，死海将在未来50年内干涸。
人为因素
死海水位大幅下降是因为近年来从约旦河流入的水量大幅下降。“毫无疑问，人类活动影响了水流正常流到死海，从而破坏了水平衡。可以说，这是人类的错。”以色列内盖夫本古里安大学的环境地球化学家甘纳表示。该地区的国家，如以色列、约旦和叙利亚从约旦河及其支流转移了大约98%的水量。
1951年，约旦宣布计划兴建阿朴杜拉国王运河工程，原名为东古尔运河工程，从约旦河的主要支流耶尔穆克河调水，为大安曼地区人们提供饮用水以及为约旦河谷东古尔地区提供灌溉用水。塔拉勒国王大坝跨越扎尔卡河修建，这是另一条流入约旦河的主要河流，向阿朴杜拉国王运河（KAC）工程输水，以满足该国日益增加的用水量。这些项目直接减少了流入约旦河的水量。
1953年9月，为了响应KAC工程的建设，以色列发起了名为国家水渠的调水工程，该工程位于约旦河流域内，在雅各布福特从约旦河引水，以帮助浇灌沿岸的沙伦平原和内盖夫沙漠。每年，以色列从加利利海引走七亿立方米的水量，该海是死海的主要水源。
1980年，叙利亚为了农业灌溉开始在耶尔穆克河上游地域建设一系列小型蓄水坝，现在已建成48座水坝，钻了3500口井来抽取耶尔穆克河流域的水。这也使得约旦河受到来自沿岸居民倾倒未经处理的污水和废物的污染，圣河成了被污染的细流，在夏天甚至流不到死海。结果，曾经每年有13亿立方米流量的约旦河，现在只有200万至300万立方米的水量流至死海。
工业活动也导致死海走向死亡。死海化工厂和阿拉伯钾肥公司之类的企业使用大规模的蒸发池，使死海的水分蒸发，从而提取水下利润丰厚的矿物，如钾肥、氯化镁和海盐，用于工业活动中化学产品和美容产品的生产。这些企业让曾经是死海南部一部分的海成了大型工业用地。
气候变化
事实上，死海走向死亡是由于人为因素和气候变化的共同作用。随着气候变化的加剧，以色列变得更加干旱、降水减少。根据以色列政府发布的《地中海和约旦河之间的天然水资源》报告显示，1973-1992年相较于1993-2009年期间，平均每年的降雨总补给量从1，643，000立方米/年剧烈下降到了1，848，000立方米/年。
约旦气象部门主任阿布·海济在2010年告诉《约旦时报》：“2010年是约旦河最热的一年，与前几年相比，这期间气温高于往年平均气温，降雨量也更少。”阿布·海济在这次采访中指出，2010年的雨季（以色列的11月至4月）是1998-1999年冬天以来最干旱的，全国降雨量只有长期年均80亿毫米的44%。
其实，以色列越来越干旱在该地区并非单一现象。一般而言，约旦河流域降雨量显著下降时气候就更为干旱。降水严重减少最终降低了流入约旦河的水量和流入死海的淡水量。
由于该地区变得干燥，用水量的需求增加，人们便从约旦河及其支流抽取更多的水。该地区本来降水就偏少，这使得流入死海的淡水更少，死海的水位进一步下降。目前，死海获得的淡水基本上来自地下泉水和雨水。约旦河的淡水供应不足，不能取代蒸发掉的水分，海水变得更咸更油腻，从而导致死海萎缩。
从红海向死海引水
科学家们估计，死海在未来二十年每年至少需要6.5亿立方米的供水量，才能稳定水位。然而，死海传统的淡水提供者——约旦河正在干涸，不再供应足够的水量来稳定死海的水位。约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦当局提出了两个与水有关的项目，红海-死海运河和约旦河-红海工程，让死海复活。
死海引水初步计划
引水至死海的大部分初步计划都侧重于从地中海到死海的运河。兴建一条运河连接地中海、红海和死海的想法是由英国军事工程师海军上将威廉·艾伦在1855年首次提出的，以作为替代当时苏伊士运河的计划。后来，许多工程师和政治家提出了同样的想法。
其中，一位政治犹太复国主义的创始人西奥多·赫茨尔。他于1902年在其小说《特拉维夫》中将这一想法正式化，提出建立水电站引水渠道连接地中海和死海。他写道，可以利用两海之间约400米的自然高差生产水电。后来，人们一再重温这个想法。
20世纪50年代，美国著名土壤专家沃尔特·罗德民对穿过地中海、内盖夫沙漠和死海的运河进行了研究，得出了400米的高差可能产生100兆电力的结论。
红海-死海运河
尽管这些研究还没有运用到真正的项目中，但人们没有忘记它们。当20世纪80年代死海的水位下降明显以及落水洞问题引起更多公众关注的时候，在约旦河谷管理局的要求下，对死海的补给研究又重新开始了。这项研究最终由芝加哥哈扎工程公司完成，但研究主要集中于红海-死海地区，而非地中海。
1998年，以色列、约旦以及巴勒斯坦权力机构就修建运河进行了严肃的讨论。约旦和以色列在2002年约翰内斯堡世界峰会上宣布要合力保护死海。2005年，约旦、以色列政府和巴勒斯坦权力机构就关于将红海海水从110公里外引到死海以补充死海的项目的可行性研究达成一致。 该计划是将红海海水从约旦的阿卡巴湾引出，用水泵将海水抽到海拔170米，然后让水落入海拔负420米的死海。项目涉及一条长180公里的埋设管道，每年将有20亿立方米的海水从红海的阿卡巴湾抽出，途径约旦，流入死海。该项目包括一个550兆瓦发电量的电厂，用于为抽取海水和淡化海水提供电力。
修建向下管道的目的是在水流下时为水电站提供动力，从而为海水淡化厂提供电力。海水淡化厂年净水能力为8亿5千万立方米，因此45%的海水将被净化为淡水，并通过两条淡水运输管道提供给最终用户。每年还将有11亿立方米的海水从净化厂排出，通过7千米的运河被输送到死海，以补充蒸发的海水。
该工程能够为约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦领土提供新的淡水资源，满足他们长远的淡水需要。项目完成后，死海的水位也将在20年内从海拔-417米上升到海拔-400米。
约旦-红海工程
红海-死海运河经历了两年的可行性研究，该研究得到约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦的一致同意，本该在2010年结束。然而，约旦人决定创立一个类似的工程。2009年5月，约旦在世界经济论坛非正式会议上宣布了约旦-红海工程的计划。
约旦-红海工程的目的是将红海海水抽取到净化厂进行净化，以解决约旦严重的淡水短缺问题。项目将在第一阶段，即2014年以前每年提供1亿2千万立方米的淡水。完全运行后，每年将提供7亿立方米淡水。同时，海水淡化厂排出的海水将通过管道输送到死海，以减缓水面的降低。在约旦-红海工程的第一阶段，海水淡化厂产生的淡水将用于周围其他项目的发展和周边城市需要。
尽管约旦-红海工程和红海-死海运河工程有重合的地方，比如它们都需要将红海海水抽出，但专家称两个项目可以同时实施。约旦政府表示约旦-红海工程可以被看成是红海-死海工程的第一阶段。
政治工程而非环境工程
从古至今，水一直是局势紧张的一个根源，也是冲突产生的一个因素。随着中东地区水资源匮乏的极速加剧，该地区国家对水的争夺也愈演愈烈。世界银行前副总裁萨拉杰丁早在一九九五年就预言：“如果本世纪的战争是争抢石油，下个世纪的战争将是水资源的争夺。”已故约旦国王侯赛因和已故埃及总统安瓦尔·萨达特分别表示过唯一能让他们和以色列开战的原因就是水。因此，淡水是地区稳定的关键因素。
地区稳定
约旦将红海-死海运河视为缓解水资源严重短缺的重要步骤。根据该计划，工程完成后将能生产8亿5千万立方米淡水，三分之二分给约旦，剩余部分分别给以色列和巴勒斯坦权力机构。这可以缓解约旦，以色列和巴勒斯坦地区的缺水状况。因此，淡水分配方面的紧张将得到缓解，而这个“唯一引起战争的因素”也就随之消失了。
中东地区国与国之间关系并不友好。这一工程则为该地区的合作带来了曙光。红海-死海运河的实现，需要以色列、约旦和巴勒斯坦的彼此合作，因为运河途径约旦，沿着以色列和巴勒斯坦边界开凿。而且，死海属于三个国家共有。因此，工程尚在襁褓之中就被视作地区合作的典范，被称为“和平运河”。
如果该运河系统和水资源分配系统能够扩大到分别拥有尼罗河和利塔尼河的埃及和黎巴嫩，那么未来这一地区的水资源短缺的问题将得以解决。该运河将有望点亮这一地区的和平进程并成为以色列和其他阿拉伯国家之间和平协议的必不可少的一部分。
随着沙漠饮用水问题的解决，其他运河附属工程也可以启动，例如绿洲和度假村等，城市发展也将成为可能。巨大的工程需要大量劳动力，也将刺激地区经济的发展。人们的生活环境也将改善，“阿拉伯之春”表明，贫穷和失业是动荡的根源。对地区发展的刺激将引领地区的未来与和平。
政治形象工程
对于约旦政府来说，这条运河不仅仅能够带来地区的稳定，更是重要的政治形象工程。耶路撒冷希伯来大学的土壤和水科学教授Avner Adin说：“运河成功为约旦提供水资源，将成为约旦国王和政府的巨大成就。它能够提升约旦人的自信心，加强政府的合法性。”
对于以色列来说，运河将会改变它在阿拉伯国家中的印象和形象。运河将会影响到约旦河西岸和加沙地带的大部分人口，因此以色列政府邀请巴勒斯坦权力机构共同参与到协商中来。但是以色列从来没把他们当做平等的合作伙伴。以色列地区发展部的官员说：“如果巴勒斯坦权力机构愿意加入我们，我们表示欢迎。但是真正的合作者是以色列和约旦。”以色列政府还没有给予巴勒斯坦权力机构同等地位而与其达成任何协议。对于以色列来说，运河工程是一项形象工程，而不是环境工程。
如果没有共同拥有死海的约旦、以色列和巴勒斯坦三方受益人的真诚合作很容易被破坏的，运河工程可能会成为恐怖袭击的目标。中东地球之友负责人Gidon Bromberg警告说：“埃及的天然气管道被破坏很多次就是一个例子。”
对环境的影响
一些环保主义者担心运河带来的环境影响，其中包括中东地球之友的主席Munqeth Mehyar，他将红海-死海工程描述为“非环保型”，原因是抽取海水将势必影响海洋环境，也会影响阿卡巴湾的珊瑚礁。
另一个大隐忧就是红海海水和死海海水的混合。巨大的海水注入会改变死海海水的化学组成，而死海海水正是以含有丰富的矿物质而闻名。将海水注入死海会带来额外的钙、硫 和石膏等，这些化学变化的影响还不清楚。
以色列班古里昂大学水研究院院长Eilon Adar则担心运河的位置。运河处于阿拉瓦山谷，这里由于地处叙利亚-非洲裂缝，很容易发生地震。如果地震或其他不可预知的灾难造成运河渗漏，海水将会淹没阿拉瓦山谷，并将该地地下的全部或大部分淡水污染。
运河工程通过管道将红海和死海连接起来，这是拯救死海的方法之一，但是许多其他的选择却被忽视了，例如约旦的蓄水工程，这将是补充死海更加自然的方法，能够避免围绕运河产生的许多环境担忧。然而，运河工程涉及的政治因素却使其他也许是更好的恢复死海的方法黯然失色。 Revitalizing the Dead Sea
Reported by Tung Hing Sum Transtated by Zhong Yulan and He Chenxu
Thousands of sinkholes have appeared over the past decade around the Dead Sea’s coastal plain， around 800 sink holes on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea and another 1，200 on the Israeli and Palestinian side. The continuing of slow “death” of the Dead Sea requires an immediate response before the sea totally dries up. Therefore， channeling water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea is suggested in order to prevent this ecological disaster from happening.
Slow Death of the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea， also called the Salt Sea， is an endorheic basin， locating in the Jordan Rift Village and between the east of Jordan and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are at roughly 420 meters below sea level — the lowest terrestrial point on the planet. Its deep is 377 meters， the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity， it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. The Jordan River --- the river where Jesus was baptized --- is the main tributary of the Dead Sea， and the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea.
The water level of Dead Sea began to drop in the 1950s. According to the geology professor at the University of Jordan Elias Salameh， the Dead Sea dropped from 392meters below sea level to 412meters between 1960 and 2000. Even worse， that rate has accelerated and has dropped about a meter a year since 2000. Overall， the water level has dropped more than 30 meters since the early 1930s. Although the Dead Sea is deep enough and remains unlikely to completely disappear， if nothing is done it will have almost dried up within the next 50 years.
Human factors
The significant drop of the water level of Dead Sea is a result of a sharp decrease in water inflow from the River Jordan in recent year. Human activities without a doubt contribute to this disruption of water inflow into the Dead Sea. "There is no doubt that human intervention in the water balance has caused the disruption，" said Jiwchar Ganor， an environmental geochemist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. "There's no question. It's our fault."
Countries in the region like Israel， Jordan and Syria are diverting more than 98 percent of the flow from the Jordan.
In 1951， Jordan announced its plan to construct the King Abdullah Canal （KAC）， formerly known as East Ghor Canal， to divert water from the Yarmouk River， a main tributary of the Jordan River， to supply drinking water for people in the Greater Amman area and to irrigate the East Ghor area of the Jordan Valley. The King Talal Dam was built across the Zarqa， another major river flowing into the Jordan， to divert water to the KAC to meet the country's increased water demands. These projects directly reduces amount of water feeding the Jordan River. In September 1953， in response to the construction of KAC， Israel started the National Water Carrier， a water diversion project within the Jordan River basin to divert water from the Jordan River at Jacob's Ford， in order to help irrigate the coastal Sharon Plain and eventually the Negev desert. Each year， Israel withdraws about 700 million cubic meters from the Sea of Galilee， a main water source of the Dead Sea.
In 1980 Syria began to construct a series of small impoundment dams on the headwaters of the Yarmouk within its territory for the purpose of agriculture. Now， 48 dams have been built. Around 3，500 wells were drilled to pump water from the Yarmouk river basin.
This， along with the dumping of untreated sewage and waste by people living along the Jordan， has also turned the holy river to a polluted dribble that doesn’t even reach the Dead Sea anymore during the summer months.
As a result， the Jordan once had a flow of 1.3 billion cubic metres a year， but now discharges only an estimated 20 million to 30 million cubic metres into the Dead Sea.
Industrial activities also contribute to the dying of Dead Sea. Companies like Dead Sea Works and the Arab Potash Company are using massive evaporation pools to vaporize the water from the Dead Sea to extract the lucrative minerals like such as potash， magnesium chloride and sea salt that beneath the water. The minerals are used to produce chemical products for industrial activities and for making beauty products. The work of these companies has turned what once was the southern portion of the sea into a massive industrial site.
Climate Change
In fact， the Dead Sea is drying down from both human factors and climate change. With climate change， Israel has become more arid and less precipitation. A comparison between the period of 1973 - 1992 and the period of 1993-2009， the total average annual recharge from rainfall has decreased dramatically from 1，848 to 1，643 mcm/yr， in accordance with the report “The Natural Water Resources between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River” released by the Israeli government.
"The year 2010 was the hottest year Jordan has ever witnessed， during which temperatures remained above their annual average and rainfall was lower， compared to previous years，" Director of the Jordan Meteorological Department Abu Hazim told The Jordan Times in 2010. Abu Hazim noted in the same interview that the wet season （from November to April in Israel） of 2010 is the driest since the 1998-1999 winter， the country received only 44 per cent of the long-term annual average of eight billion millimetres of rainfall. And the fact that Israel is getting drier is not a single phenomenon in the region. The Jordan River Basin in general is exposing to a drier climate with a significant decline of rainfall. The severe reduction of precipitation eventually reduces the flow of water of the Jordan and the amount of fresh water flowing into the Dead Sea.
As the region becomes drier， the demand of water increases. People withdraw more water from the Jordan and its tributaries. This， with the low precipitation in the region， makes less fresh water available for the Dead Sea. The water level of Dead Sea drops even further.
Today the only fresh water the Dead Sea gets is from underground springs and rainwater. With inadequate fresh water from the Jordan to replace the water lost from the evaporation， the sea has become more salty and oleaginous， and as a result， the Dead Sea is shrinking.
Channeling Water from
the Red Sea to
the Dead Sea
Scientists estimate that the Dead Sea needs at least 650 million cubic meters of water per year in order to stabilize over the next two decades. However， the Jordan， the traditional fresh water provider of the Dead Sea， is drying out and no longer provides enough water to stabilize the Dead Sea. Jordan， Israel and the Palestinian Authority proposed two water-related projects， the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal and the Jordan Red Sea Project （JRSP）， to resurrect the Dead Sea.
Initial Plans to Channel Water to the Dead Sea
Most initial plans to channel the fresh sea water to the Dead Sea focused on a canal from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea.
The idea of constructing a canal to link Mediterranean and Red Seas and the Dead Sea was first proposed by a British military engineer Admiral William Allen in the 1855， as an alternative to the then-planned Suez Canal. Later， many engineers and politicians suggested the same idea.
One of those politicians was Theodore Herzl， the founder of political Zionism. He formalized the idea of a hydropower canal connecting the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea in his novel Altneuland in 1902. He wrote that it would be possible to use the natural elevation difference between the two seas， roughly about the 400-meter drop， to produce hydroelectric energy. And this idea was consistently revisited.
In the 1950s， Walter C. Lowdermilk， a renowned American expert on soil conservation， conducted a research on canal stretching from the Mediterranean， across the Negev Desert， to the Dead Sea. He concluded that the 400-meter drop could generate about 100 megawatts of electric power. The Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal
Even though none of these researches were turned into a real project， they were not forgotten. When the dropping of the Dead Sea’s water level became so significant and the problem of sinkholes drew more public attention， the research of replenishing the Dead Sea was renewed at the request of the Jordan Valley Authority in the 1980s and the research was finalized by the Harza Engineering of Chicago in 1996. But the research focused on the Red Sea – Dead Sea option， rather than the Mediterranean option.
In 1998， Israel， Jordan， and the Palestinian Authority began serious discussion on building a canal. Jordan and Israel announced to join force to protect the Dead Sea in the Johannesburg World Summit 2002. In 2005， the governments of Jordan and Israel， and the Palestinian Authorities together agreed on the terms of reference for a program to study the possibility of a water conveyance project that would bring water about 110 miles from the Red Sea to replenish the Dead Sea Red-Dead option.
The proposed plan was to draw water from the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan， pump the seawater 170 meters above sea level and then let the water fall to the Dead Sea at 400 meters below sea level. The project involves of a 180-kilometer long buried pipeline， which will carry up to 2 billion cubic meters （m3） of sea water per year from the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea through Jordanian territory to the Dead Sea.
The project includes a 550 MW power plant， which will provide electricity for pumping the water and power for the desalination plant.
The reason of setting up the downward pipeline so that a hydroelectric plant can be powered by the water drop that would， in turn， power a desalination plant. The desalination plant has an annual capacity of 850 million m?， therefore roughly 45% of seawater will be recovered as fresh water which provides to the end-users through two freshwater conveyance lines.
1100 million m? per year of brine from the desalination plant will also be discharged into the Dead Sea via a 7 km canal， replenishing water that is evaporating from the sea.
As a result of the project， an additional freshwater resource is created to meet the long-term water needs of Jordan， Israel， and Palestinian Territories. The Dead Sea water level is also expected to rise from 417 m to 400 meters below sea level during the 20-year filling stage after the project is completed. Jordan Red Sea Project
The study of Red Sea – Dead Sea canal was subjected to a two-year feasibility study agreed by the Jordanians， Israelis and Palestinians and should be finalized in 2010. However， the Jordanians have decided to launch a similar project. In May 2009 at side event of the World Economic Forum， Jordan announced its plans to construct the JRSP.
The JRSP aims to address Jordan’s severe water shortage by pumping water from the Red Sea through pipelines to a desalination plant. The project is designed to provide 120 million m? of water annually in its first phase by the year 2014 and expanding to 700 million m? annually when fully operational. Meanwhile， the brine from the desalination plant will be discharged through pipelines into the Dead Sea to lower the decline in its water levels.
Under the first phase of the JRSP， water generated from the desalination plant was allocated for surrounding development projects and nearby cities.
Although there is some overlap between the JRSP and the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal project as both require water to be pumped out of the Red Sea， experts say two projects can be implemented simultaneously. According to the Jordanian government， JRSP could be considered as the first phase of the Red Sea–Dead Sea Project.
A Political Project Rather
Than an Environmental Project
Water has been a source of tension and a factor of conflict throughout of history. With water availability shrinking rapidly in Middle East， the violent conflict among states in the region over water is getting more surreal than ever. As early as 1995， the then Vice President of World Bank Ismail Serageldin once famously said “if the wars of this century were fought over oil， the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” The late King Hussein of Jordan and the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat respectively， said that the only thing that would make them go to war with Israel would be water. Therefore， the fresh water is the key to the regional stability.
Regional Stability
Jordan regards the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal as an essential step in alleviating the country’s severe shortage of water. According to the plan， 850 million m? fresh water can be generated when the project complete， two third of these water will go to Jordan， the remaining will split between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It can reverse the water deficit in Jordan， Israel and Palestine. As a result， the tension over sharing freshwater in the region will be eased and the “only factor of going to war” will subsequently disappear. The region is not known for the friendly cross-broader relations. The project therefore brings light to the regional cooperation. In order to make the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal success， it would require cooperation between Israel， Jordan， and the Palestinian Authority， as the canal will be on Jordanian territory， following the line of the border with Israel and the Palestinian. Furthermore， the Dead Sea is shared by the 3 authorities. Therefore， the project in an earlier incarnation has been quickly hailed as an example of regional cooperation and has been dubbed as the "peace canal”.
And if the canal system and the water distribution system are expanded to Egypt and Lebanon， which control the Nile River and the Litani River respectively， in the future， it may be a solution of the problem of water scarcity in the region. The canal can hopefully spark the peace process in the region and become an integral part of the peace deal between Israel and the rest of Arab nations.
With drinkable water available in the desert， other affiliated projects to the canal like oasis parks and hotel resorts can begin， urban development also becomes possible. Large scale projects will require a lot of workers for constructions and will also stimulate the regional economy. People’s living conditions in the region can so be improved. As we have seen in the “Arab Spring”， poverty and unemployment can be the source of instability. The stimulation of regional development can lead to prospect and peace to the region.
Political Image Project
For the Jordanian government， the canal is more than bringing stability to the region， but an important political image project. Avner Adin， a professor of soil and water sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said that it “will be a big achievement for the Jordanian king and government that they succeeded in providing water to Jordan.” It can boost the confidence of the Jordanians and strengthen the legitimacy of the government.
For Israel， the project is to change the perception and the image of Israel in the Arab world. As the canal will affect the majority populations of the West Bank and Gaza Strip， the Israeli government invite the Palestinian Authority to participate in the negotiations of canal. But they have never been considered as an equal partner by the Israeli government. “If the Palestinian Authority would like to join us， they’re most welcome. But the real partners are Israel and Jordan，” Silvan Shalom， the Israeli minister for regional development， said. The government of Israel is not ready to enter any treaty with the Palestinian Authority with an equal status. This project for Israel is considered as an image project rather than an environmental project. Without a sincere cooperation between the three beneficiaries， namely Jordan， Israel and Palestinian who share the Dead Sea， the project may be undermined by terrorist attack as the infrastructure is a vulnerable target for the attack. “The Egyptian gas pipeline destroyed several times is a case in point，” Gidon Bromberg， director of FoEME-Israel warned.
Environmental Implications
Environmentalists like Munqeth Mehyar， chairman and co-director of Friends of the Earth Middle East， have been worried about impacts brought by the canal. Mehyar described the Dead Sea-Red Sea project as “environmentally unfriendly”， as pumping a amount of seawater will certainly affect the marine environment and coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Another major concern is the mixing of marine water from the Red Sea with the Dead Sea water. The large influx of seawater can change the chemical make-up of Dead Sea water， which is known for its rich in minerals. As channeling sea water to the Dead Sea will add additional calcium， sulfur， and gypsum to the Dead Sea. The effects of this hydro chemical change are still unknown when the two waters mix.
Eilon Adar， director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel， is concerned about the location of the canal. Arava Valleya， the location of the canal， is an area that prone to earthquakes as a result of its part of the Syrian-African rift. If the canal leaks due to the earthquake or other unpredictable disasters， the seawater will flood the Arava Villeya and contaminate all， or at least a significant portion of， the area’s underground fresh water.
The project to link the Red Sea and the Dead Sea via pipelines is way to save the dying Dead Sea， but many other options like restoring the water flow of the Jordan like has been overlooked. And restoring the Jordan should be a more natural way of refilling the Dead Sea that avoids many environmental concerns surrounding the canal. However， the politics involved in this project has clouded other alternatives that could be a better way of revitalizing the Dead Sea.