Questions and Answers about the "Peace Conduit"

1. Why a Peace Conduit?

Every year the water level of the Dead Sea is dropping by 1 metre on average. The great salt lake has already shrunk by a third – with dramatic impacts on the unique ecology and the economic development in the Dead Sea region. The construction of a water conveyance system bringing salt water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea is one proposal to stabilise the water level of the Dead Sea and thus preserve tourism, agriculture and mineral extraction in the region.

Exploiting the gradient from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, at 417 m below the sea level, the canal’s water could produce hydroelectric power. The energy gained shall be used for the operation of a desalination plant. Annually half of 1,800 million cubic metres salt water shall be treated to provide drinking water for Jordan, Israel and Palestine: The remaining concentrate shall replenish the Dead Sea. Over long stretches, more than 175 km across the Arava Valley, the Peace Conduit is rather a pipeline than an open canal.

Since decades there have been plans to construct a canal from the Mediterranean respectively from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea (so called Med-Dead- respectively Red-Dead Canal). Since the presentation of the so called Peace Conduit project from the Red to the Dead Sea by the governments of Israel and Jordan at the World Summit in Johannesburg 2002, the initiative gained in importance. Meanwhile also the Palestine authorities support this project.

2. How much does the construction of the Peace Conduit cost?

There are only estimates as currently no feasibility studies do yet exist. The construction costs of the conduit only are being estimated at approx. 1 billion US $. The total costs including the construction of the planned hydroelectric power plant as well as a water distribution network are projected to approx. 5 billion $ at least. The three abutter countries of the Dead Sea - Israel, Jordan and Palestinians - are directly or indirectly involved and concerned by the construction of the canal. Therefore, it is proposed to finance the canal as a Peace and Development Project by funds managed by the World Bank. International financial donors and states should replenish the fund. It is absolutely not clear whether one can find investors for the estimated 5 billion construction costs.

3. When will the conduit be built?

It is not yet sure that the conduit will be built at all. A feasibility study is to be conducted. The costs for the study alone are estimated at 15 Million US $. In December 2006, the USA, Japan, France and the Netherlands have committed themselves to participate in financing the study. The World Bank will coordinate the financing of the study and be in charge of the Terms of References.

If the result of the feasibility study is positive, then the canal could be built provided the political and financial conditions are satisfying. Start of works before 2011 does not seem realistic even if foreign investors would bear the costs of 5 Billion US $.

4. What do supporters say in view of the planned Peace Conduit?

For the supporters – mainly policy makers and bureaucrats in the abutter countries at the Dead Sea - the conduit is the only means to save the Dead Sea. The Peace Conduit could cover the fresh water demand of the region and prevent the drying up of the Dead Sea. As this initiative is jointly supported  by the Israeli, Jordan and Palestine governments, it is an important step to co-operation and peace in the Middle East according to the advocates of this project.

Sceptical comments come from regional and international environmental organisations, scientists and representatives of the mineral mining industry at Dead Sea. Though all parties support joint approaches to save the Dead Sea, from the opponents point of view other options should be examined in order to provide sufficient water for man and nature in the Dead Sea region.

Already the tender announcement for a feasibility study of the World Bank meets with criticism. Besides economic and social aspects also environmental concerns should be examined carefully . The focus, however, is on the construction of the canal. The real causes of drying up of the Dead Sea and how to combat it are inadequately addressed. So the study will provide only vague information about the urgently needed integrated water management.

The real problems – the almost complete diversion of the Jordan water, the most important tributary of the Dead Sea – and the overuse of the water resources through mineral mining industry in the South of the Dead Sea – are no topics of the planned study.

The environmental foundation Global Nature Fund and the Living Lakes partner organisation Friends of the Earth Middle East organised several discussion panels and expert meetings in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories to discuss with government representatives, scientists and the local stakeholders the possible consequences of the canal construction and alternative solutions to the most urgent problems at the Dead Sea. It turned out that there are still a lot of questions to be answered:

1. How can negative impacts on the Dead Sea due to commingling of water of different salinity – the salt concentration of the Dead Sea water is ten times higher than the Red Sea (e.g. Israeli scientists forecast the development of gypsum and algae in the lake) – be prevented?
2. What are the dangers of water intake for the coral reefs of the Red Sea?
3. What happens in case of a leakage of the salt water canal which passes valuable groundwater reserves?
4. What happens to the conduit, the desalination plant and the hydroelectric power station if the Dead Sea reaches its normal level?
5. Will the canal and the drinking water supply be privatised? What about the pricing of the drinking water in view of the high investment and operation costs for the private households?
6. Which alternative measures will be taken by the abutters to prevent drying up of the Dead Sea if the outcome of the feasibility study is negative respectively if the funding of the Peace Conduit cannot be assured? 
7. What can be done to prevent further dropping of the water level and the daily formation of large sink holes until 2011, projected start of the construction of the conduit?

Opponents fear that despite the possible construction of the canal „business as usual" will go on e.g. continued shoreline construction of tourism and recreational facilities, careless use of the resource water and discharge of untreated sewage in the Dead Sea. Since years Friends of the Earth Middle East have demanded the implementation of a sustainable development plan instead of uncontrolled competition for the scarce water resources between the abutters.

6. Used literature and links:

• Israel and Jordan Launch Global Campaign to Save the Dead Sea: Official publication by Israel and Jordan concerning the planned conduit including maps.
• The Expected Impact of the Peace Conduit Project (The Red Sea – Dead Sea Pipeline) on the Dead Sea:  Scientific study from Israel: Data concerning the dropping water level and consequences of the canal for the Dead Sea.
• Red - Dead Conduit: Critical remarks concerning the construction of the Conduit by Friends of the Earth Middle East 
  
• We don't know what's going to happen: Interview on the Peace Conduit with the expert Mark Bernstein
• Will it save the Dead Sea: Criticism of the conduit and the feasibility study by the World Bank from the Israeli conservationist Gidon Bromberg
  
• Conference Proceedings: The Dead Sea Between Life and Death, FoEME-GNF, 2002 
  Conference publication with articles from opponents and supporters of the Peace Conduit
  
• Monitoring the Dead Sea: Current measurement data and maps concerning the decline of Dead Sea’s surface level