As of October 15, 2009, Jordan announced its intent to refill the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea. According to this article, this is a worry because the water from the Red Sea could be damaging to the ecosystems of both bodies of water. Water levels in the Dead Sea, have been shrinking by more than 4 feet a year for the last 20 years because of water being extracted for drinking, agriculture and industry.
The government of Jordan plans to remove 10 billion cubic feet a year from the Red Sea so they can reroute most of it to a desalination plant. Here they can create clean drinking water and send the remaining salty wastewater to the Dead Sea. Despite environmentalists warning that mixing the two types of saltwater could produce algae blooms in the Dead Sea, while increased salinity in the Red Sea could damage their fish and coral life, Jordan plans to begin as soon as funding is arranged.
Do you think the possible damage to the two bodies of water is worth risking for clean drinking water?
What do you think are some other possible approaches for Jordan to take in order to acquire clean drinking water?
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