Conflict Complicates Environmental Problems at the Dead Sea
2025-02-03
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1International visitors to Israel used to visit Ein Gedi, a popular beach on the Dead Sea.
2The Dead Sea is the place on Earth's surface that is farthest below sea level.
3Now, the beautiful desert area is in ruins beside the shrinking, salty lake.
4The beach has been closed to the public for five years, mainly because of the appearance of dangerous holes in the ground.
5These holes, known as sinkholes, are caused by the collapse of the surface layer.
6The beach has been closed because the drop in the sea's level has made it difficult to reach its waters.
7These environmental changes are not new.
8The Dead Sea, where Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian territory meet, has been dying for years.
9With the current conflict in the Middle East, efforts to deal with the environmental problem have disappeared too.
10Nadav Tal of the Israel office of Eco Peace, a non-profit group, told the French News Agency (AFP), "Regional cooperation is the key... to saving the Dead Sea."
11Tal added: "Because we are living in a conflict area, there is an obstacle."
12Tal described how the sea has been declining more than one meter per year since the 1960s.
13The evaporation of the salty waters takes place partly because temperatures reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer.
14The sea has also been affected by years of increasing water usage from the sea's main source, the Jordan River, and other smaller waterways which begin in Lebanon and Syria.
15Local factories also use the water to get minerals -- potash, bromine, sodium chloride, and magnesium chloride, among others.
16Tal told AFP, "The consequences of this water diversion is what we see around us."
17He described it as an "ecological disaster," adding that "the declining of the Dead Sea is a disaster for Israeli tourism."
18Efforts to deal with the Dead Sea disaster include past agreements signed by Israel and Jordan.
19But the wars taking place in Gaza and beyond have brought tensions to an all-time high.
20As a result, cross-border environmental issues are no longer getting attention.
21At Israel's environment ministry, Ohad Carny has been working on the Dead Sea issue for years.
22He said the government was looking into several solutions.
23They include building a desalination factory and making a canal from either the north or the south to deal with water shortages in the area including the Dead Sea.
24But, he said, "It doesn't make economic or environmental sense to desalinate water and bring it directly to the Dead Sea, because then it's a waste of drinking water and the region needs...more drinking water and more water for agriculture."
25Carny said that his attention was on the Israeli side.
26But he added, "We can't do it alone. It must be a joint effort. So only time will tell, and we won't do anything without an agreement together with the Jordanian side."
27Back at the Dead Sea, 40-year-old bus driver Benny is at a place where people can still visit.
28Benny was getting some winter sun at one of the warm sinkhole pools.
29He said the sea's changes were difficult.
30"But everything has a plus and minus. Because of what is happening here, we have water spots like this one."
31I'm John Russell.
1International visitors to Israel used to visit Ein Gedi, a popular beach on the Dead Sea. 2The Dead Sea is the place on Earth's surface that is farthest below sea level. 3Now, the beautiful desert area is in ruins beside the shrinking, salty lake. 4The beach has been closed to the public for five years, mainly because of the appearance of dangerous holes in the ground. These holes, known as sinkholes, are caused by the collapse of the surface layer. 5The beach has been closed because the drop in the sea's level has made it difficult to reach its waters. 6These environmental changes are not new. The Dead Sea, where Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian territory meet, has been dying for years. With the current conflict in the Middle East, efforts to deal with the environmental problem have disappeared too. 7Nadav Tal of the Israel office of Eco Peace, a non-profit group, told the French News Agency (AFP), "Regional cooperation is the key... to saving the Dead Sea." Tal added: "Because we are living in a conflict area, there is an obstacle." Tal described how the sea has been declining more than one meter per year since the 1960s. 8Environmental disaster 9The evaporation of the salty waters takes place partly because temperatures reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer. The sea has also been affected by years of increasing water usage from the sea's main source, the Jordan River, and other smaller waterways which begin in Lebanon and Syria. 10Local factories also use the water to get minerals -- potash, bromine, sodium chloride, and magnesium chloride, among others. Tal told AFP, "The consequences of this water diversion is what we see around us." 11He described it as an "ecological disaster," adding that "the declining of the Dead Sea is a disaster for Israeli tourism." 12Call for joint efforts 13Efforts to deal with the Dead Sea disaster include past agreements signed by Israel and Jordan. But the wars taking place in Gaza and beyond have brought tensions to an all-time high. As a result, cross-border environmental issues are no longer getting attention. 14At Israel's environment ministry, Ohad Carny has been working on the Dead Sea issue for years. He said the government was looking into several solutions. They include building a desalination factory and making a canal from either the north or the south to deal with water shortages in the area including the Dead Sea. But, he said, "It doesn't make economic or environmental sense to desalinate water and bring it directly to the Dead Sea, because then it's a waste of drinking water and the region needs...more drinking water and more water for agriculture." 15Carny said that his attention was on the Israeli side. But he added, "We can't do it alone. It must be a joint effort. So only time will tell, and we won't do anything without an agreement together with the Jordanian side." 16Back at the Dead Sea, 40-year-old bus driver Benny is at a place where people can still visit. Benny was getting some winter sun at one of the warm sinkhole pools. 17He said the sea's changes were difficult. "But everything has a plus and minus. Because of what is happening here, we have water spots like this one." 18I'm John Russell. 19Ruth Eglash reported this story for Agence France-Presse (AFP). John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_____________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22regional - adj. of or relating to a geographic area distinguished by similar features 23obstacle - n. something that slows progress or development; something that slows forward movement 24decline -v. to decrease 25consequences -n. (pl.) the results of an action or process 26diversion - n. the act of turning from one course or use to another 27evaporation -n. the process by which a liquid becomes a gas 28desalination - n. the process of removing salt from water 29canal - n. an artificial waterway for draining or irrigating land