Israel's Dead Sea will dry out by 2050: experts

The world famous Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth and also the planet's saltiest body of water will dry out by the year 2050, experts have warned.

Its degradation started in the 1960s when Israel, Jordan and Syria began to divert water from the Jordan River, the main source for the Dead Sea.

The receding waters have led to the formation and collapse of sinkholes around the Dead Sea's coast line, forcing a number of resorts to close.

Water is a rare resource in Jordan, where 92 percent of the land is desert. The country is home to around seven million people and the population is growing with an influx of refugees from Syria.

Several environmental groups have warned that the project could undermine the fragile ecosystem of the Dead Sea, which they fear could be contaminated by water from the Red Sea.

An ambitious project has been in the works for more than a decade, aiming to build a canal linking the Red Sea to the shrinking Dead Sea.
 [i24news.tv]
14/7/16
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