An Environmental Controversy in the Making

The future of the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal project, a plan to refill the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea [and to build a hydroelectric power plant and  desalination plant in the process] is by no means set in stone. In addition to the political difficulties of building a consensus amongst the three main players, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority, and the financial hurdle of raising the necessary funds, project backers must contend with a range of concerns that are being raised by independent environmental groups such as the Friends of the Earth Middle East. The $15.5 million World Bank feasibility study, which is currently underway and expected to be completed sometime next spring, incorporates a number of sub-studies that address issues of environmental impact, but environmental groups worry that the World Bank efforts are not comprehensive enough.

Here is an overview of the potential negative environmental consequences of the Red-Dead project:

1. Mixing of Red Sea and Dead Sea water will alter the unique natural system of the Dead Sea. As of yet, no one fully understands the impact of changing water salinity, evaporation rates, bacteria and algae composition, and chemical make up of the water in the Dead Sea basin. Some fear that volatile toxic compounds could be created, or that the unique health benefits associated with the Dead Sea mud could be compromised.

2. Pumping water out of the Gulf of Aqaba could cause damage to the areas coral reef ecosystem.

3. In the event of leakage in the conveyance infrastructure, existing underground aquifers could be contaminated, leading to an increased salinity of drinking water and potentially bearing severe consequences to agriculture in the region.

4. The project will change the landscape of the Arava, which could harm important cultural and archaeological heritage sites and have a negative effect on tourism in the area.

5. Some also worry that the project, by increasing the availability of fresh water, will encourage development across the desert, putting further pressure on the area's fragile ecosystems. One plan, spearheaded by Israeli real estate tycoon Isaac Tshuva, envisions a corridor of new development - a confluence of skyscrapers, casinos, hotels, and artificial lakes described as Las Vegas meets Dubai in the Arava - that would draw as many as 3 million Israelis to live in the region and fulfill not only ex-President Shimon Peres' so-called "Peace Valley" vision, but also, a steroidal version of the Zionist ideal of "making the desert bloom."