The Dead sea is now actually dying!

Jordan: The Dead Sea is shrinking day by day as its waters vanish at a rate of more than one meter a year! The sea, a unique body of water marked by mineral-rich, unusually salty water nearly 10 times saltier than the world's oceans is actually dying.

The Dead Sea has declined dramatically and has already lost about a third of its surface area. According to researchers, it needs an infusion of 160 billion gallons of water annually to maintain its current size; it gets barely 10 percent of that.

Scientists have warned that a regional effort is urgently required to restore water levels in the Jordan River, which feeds the Dead Sea.

The two main reasons for the dropping water level are :

• Mineral extraction by Israeli and Jordanian companies in the artificially shallow southern basin,
• The fact that 95 percent of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea’s main source of replenishing water is being diverted. The river used to provide 1,350 million cubic metres of water each year but that flow has decreased to just 20 mcm.

(With Agency inputs)