The Dead Sea, a salt lake that borders Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, is shrinking according to recent studies revealed by scientists and an investigative report conducted by Sky News.
The landlocked lake in southwestern Asia is the lowest land elevation on Earth, measured at 422 metres below sea level, and is a tourist hot spot as its waters have unique properties.
Twitter/ Mike Cernovich – local resort near the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea, made dense by its 30 per cent-salt levels, possesses healing properties which potential swimmers might enjoy, and the mud is known to be used in spas as it reportedly alleviates skin and respiratory conditions.
Over a period of time the Dead Sea has seen a decrease in water levels due to local industries mining the waters for their minerals and commercial purposes.
Sky News reported that the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate and may scale down to the size of a small pool by 2050, with water levels said to be dropping by a metre each year. Sky News revealed that the increasing population growth, poor management, and the effects of factories extracting minerals by evaporating water from the ocean are the main causes for the decrease in the water levels.
The Dead Sea – a biblical wonder of the world – could disappear in the next few decades due to falling sea levels. It is currently dropping at a rate of 1.5m (5ft) per year.
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The surrounding environment has become dry and parched with sink holes appearing along the shore line, resulting in resorts to closing down due to safety concerns.
An ecologist at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Dr Ofir Katz, told Sky News that sourcing water from natural seas is detrimental to the natural biodiversity.
“If we keep taking fresh water from nature from the Sea of Galilee, or from the Euphrates for example, or the Nile, we will eventually ruin the local environment,” he said.
The destruction of the Dead Sea is attributed to several causes but if the surrounding regions do not come together to address the devastation and prevent further damage, the ancient lake may cease to exist as we know it.
Picture: Twitter/ Arsen Ostrovsky/ The Dead Sea Israel
