by Manal Omar

THE LEGEND of the Dead Sea is as old as history itself. The spiritual and historical significance of the area has created a renowned legacy. The healing powers of the Dead Sea salt has attracted people from all over the world to witness the magic for themselves. Being more than 400 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth.

The Dead Sea is believed to be the site of five biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebouin, and Zoat. It is most famous among religious travelers as the place where Jesus was baptized and near which John the Baptist lived.

The beauty and religious history of the Dead Sea have caused it to be one of the most popular landmarks in Jordan.

In ancient times, the Jordan Valley was known as the most fertile in the Middle East. From the soil of the Jordan Valley sprung some of the world's ancient civilizations. Over centuries, however, the fertile land became dry. Today, the Jordan Valley region remains fertile due to irrigation and diversion. As a result, the spiritual and historical landmark is being threatened. Over the past decades, the Dead Sea's eco-system faced radical changes, and according to environmental and geographical experts, the Dead Sea is undergoing a slow and painful death.

The decrease of inflow into the sea is causing its shoreline to undergo very fast and dynamic changes. Its main tributary is the Jordan River. According to a study sponsored by the Royal Jordan Geographic Center (RJGC) and presented in a conference in India, the measurements of the Dead Sea at the end of the fifties were 80 kilometers in length and its greatest width was about 17.5 kilometers. The surface was about 100 square kilometers of which about 757 square kilometers were located in the northern part and 240 square kilometers in the southern part. The altitude of the surface was around 350 meters below sea level. At that time, the average total inflow was equal to the ratio of evaporation.

However, the study shows that since the beginning of the sixties, the Dead Sea began receding gradually. This occurred as a result of the hydraulic projects started by Jordan and Israel in the basin.

These projects resulted in a gradual decrease of the amount of discharge into the Dead Sea, and thus the shorelines began to shrink. During the 1980s this increased further. By the 1990s the situation became very grave.

Since 1964, Israel has drained about 500 mcm a year from Lake Tabarias. Today, this has arisen to 650 mcm per annum, with no water flowing downstream into the lake from the upper Jordan River.

Also, Jordan began to construct a number of dams at a total capacity of 110 mcm-An obvious example of this is the King Talal Dam and the Kafrein dam. Currently, the remaining wadis and springs on both sides of the Dead Sea are dammed or captured by other construction works.

A study was presented in 1982 at the first Geology Conference in Jordan. It estimated that the total surface area of the Dead Sea was at 800 square kilometers, of which 740 square kilometers in the northern part and only 60 square kilometers in the southern part. Also in 1982, Jordan started the Potash projects, the salt pans had been built at the receding area of the southern part of the sea. Israel also used this area to expand the salt pans. Thus, the shrinking increased and eventually disappeared in the southern parts. The water in the northern parts is currently decreasing and the shores of the Dead Sea are becoming narrow.

"The problem comes from the fact that the Israelis have pumped water for irrigation purposes and they have made deviations of the water flow of the Jordan River. The natural cycle has been broken, which has decreased the amount of water going to the Dead Sea, and which has resulted in the death of the Dead Sea," explained Dr Jihad Hijazi, the manager of remote sensing and GIS at Computer Communications and Systems (CCS).

CCS is a leading company in Jordan which introduced the latest technologies to improve all aspects of life in Jordan. CCS uses satellite images to monitor such incidents. "Our technology helps identify environmental problems such as the one facing the Dead Sea. It also helps determine the source of pollution," Dr Hijazi told The Star. Currently, CCS is working on a Geographic Information System to be used for environmental restoration and management. From the database, environmental and government agencies can develop and perform projects for restoration and remodification.

The Royal Jordanian Geographic Center has applied such technology to monitor the recession of the Dead Sea. The environmental organizations are all aware of the shrinking shores of the Dead Sea, and one of their main objectives is to restore its natural water inflow. "The reason we establish such intense studies and use satellite pictures is to monitor the size and levels of recession of the Dead Sea. These studies will help us prevent further damage," explained Major Omar Sultan, the head of remote sensing at RJGC.

The study sponsored by the RJGC concludes that if the "actual situation continues to exist as it is today, with no changes in weather conditions, no expansions on Potash Projects and the water discharge quantities to the Dead Sea remain unchanged, then the actual tendency of the Dead Sea regression, that is estimated by about two square kilometers per year, will lead to a complete disappearance of the Dead Sea in four centuries at a maximum."

The environmental threat which leads to the disappearance of the Dead Sea is one that should concern the Jordanian community as a whole. Although awareness at this point is only the minimal solution, it is crucial that remedies to rectify the situation be fully explored. The Dead Sea is not merely a body of water that must be restored. The evaporation of the Dead Sea means the end of the holistic therapy from the Dead Sea. It entails erasing a religious and spiritual landmark for people all across the globe. Most importantly, the Dead Sea is a piece of Jordanian identity which should last for all the centuries to come.