A few weeks ago, I went on a trip to Israel, as well as Jordan with my family for winter vacation. I was trying to write my articles on the trip as soon as possible, but I have been quite busy after the trip, and now I am finally writing on it. The trip was very good, and I visited great places such as Petra and Jerusalem. Anyways, what I want to talk about is a big concern in the region, the shrinking levels of the Dead Sea.

           Only a few decades ago, the Dead Sea was regarded as a useless place, with literally no living creatures (There was surely no creatures at the place when I visited it.) Even the Holy Bible mentions it as a deadly place. However, the lake (the Dead Sea is actually a lake) is now one of the most important source of revenue for both Israel and Jordan. When people discovered that the lake was full of rare minerals, they began to develop the whole area around the Dead Sea.

           Nowadays, the shoreline around the Dead Sea is lined up with luxury resorts, salt fields, and even factories that extract various minerals from the Dead Sea water. When word spread that the lake water is good for the skin, people all over the world came over to bathe in the lake, and factories began churning out Dead Sea skincare products. As a result, the Dead Sea became one of the most valued places in the region.

           However, the development of the Dead Sea has brought the shrinking of water levels in the Dead Sea. Currently, the level is getting a centimeter lower per year, which is a very rapid rate. The Dead Sea has only one water source, the Jordan River, and yet numerous companies are pulling out enormous amount of water out of the lake. This makes it impossible to maintain the water levels. Furthermore, the two countries, Israel and Jordan are planning to elevate the water levels again by pumping water from Read Sea, and a construction of pipelines is being planned. However, environmentalists warn that the plan is unstable and can even bring further harm to the lake.

           I hope that Israel and Jordan would think more deeply about the decreasing levels of the Dead Sea and come up with a wiser plan to solve the problem. Or else, the Dead Sea would disappear from our sight in only a few decades, assuming that the current rate goes on. Even now, strips of sand can be seen in the middle of the lake.

If you like to read more about the decreasing levels of the Dead Sea, take a look at this NATURE article: http://www.nature.com/news/environmental-concerns-reach-fever-pitch-over-plan-to-link-red-sea-to-dead-sea-1.12515

Picture Descriptions:

1. A picture of me in the Dead Sea

2. Salt crystals that have formed on shorelines

3. A strip of sand can be seen in the middle of the lake because the water level is so low

4. Factories that extract minerals from Dead Sea water

5. A view of the Dead Sea