Jordan, World Bank discuss implementation of Red-Dead study

Jordan and the World Bank held last week a meeting to discuss how to proceed with the Red-Dead Canal feasibility study, a World Bank official said. Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel agreed last week to proceed with the study of a $2-4 billion project to top up the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea through a 180km pipeline. Ministry of Water and Irrigation official Othman Kurdi briefed the meeting on the current condition of the Dead Sea and the importance of the project in restoring its water levels, which have dropped by 24 metres in the past century. Kurdi noted that in addition to the water level drop, the sea’s surface area has shrunk by about 33 per cent over the last 55 years with an average annual inflow decrease  from 1,200 million cubic metres to around 250 million cubic metres of water. The launch of the Red-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, launched last week, takes into consideration the technical, financial and institutional components of the plan. The technical aspect, said the official, will examine the establishment of  a hydro electric power and desalination facility to capitalise on the 450 metres drop from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.