5km swim across Dead Sea draws attention to saline lake’s demise

Around 30 open-water swimmers swam over five kilometers across the Dead Sea on Friday to draw attention to the demise of the Earth's most saline body of water. The water level has dropped by some 11 meters since the inaugural swim 10 years ago. Organizer Oded Rahav called for urgent action to save the lake.

Around 30 open-water swimmers from Israel and overseas swam over five kilometers across the Dead Sea on Friday to draw attention to the demise of the Earth's most saline body of water. The swim, from Metzoke Dragot to Mitzpe Shalem, was organized by entrepreneur Oded Rahav, who heads the Dead Sea Guardians. The water level has dropped by some 11 meters since the inaugural swim 10 years ago, which saw participants from Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other countries swim from Israel to Jordan. The Dead Sea is sinking by over a meter each year because water that used to replenish it from the Jordan River and its tributaries is diverted upstream for drinking water, farming and other uses. Israel's Dead Sea Works and Jordan's Arab Potash Company also pump water into evaporation ponds to extract minerals, returning only a portion to the sea. While ideas for maintaining levels have come and gone, nothing has been implemented. Sinkholes are opening along the shore, threatening infrastructure and tourism. Rahav said: 'If we managed to do what everyone said was impossible and swim across the Dead Sea, we must do the impossible to save it from sinking further.'