Better Dead With Red

Officials from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority met along the shores of the Dead Sea to settle details of a study to save the shrinking body of water, agreeing to proceed with plans to draw water from the Red Sea.

The surface level of the Dead Sea - the saltiest water in the world at the lowest point on Earth that is estimated at 1,200 feet below sea level - has fallen about three feet a year in the past 20 years because of evaporation and allegedly the diversion of rivers by Syria and Israel.

The Dead Sea and its surrounding has been the source of much human social history and it is linked to the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

In 2005, the three concerned parties appealed to the World Bank to coordinate financing the feasibility study. The World Bank have agreed and appealed to the donor countries.

Four donor countries - France, Japan, the United States and the Netherlands - have committed themselves to participate in financing the $15 million study. The study will look at the environmental and social consequences of transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, Jordan's Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammed Thafer al-Alem said Sunday.

Water will continue to be a major issue for the region. The Golan is an important source of water for Syria, Israel, the territories, and Jordan as the Jordan River headwaters start in the Golan and the River marks the border between Jordan and Israel and the territories. Increased demand for water upstream has meant that little water ever reaches the Dead Sea, which is not only the lowest point on the planet, but is the most saline body of water in the world and temperatures will average over 100 degrees for much of the year - accelerating evaporation even further.

The cost of the program might run about $1 billion, but the benefits to the region would be significant - stabilizing the water situation for Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians.