The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth - 400 metres below sea level - and its surface is falling by 1 metre every year. At this rate it will have dried up by 2060.
The World Bank is promoting a proposal to stabilise the Dead Sea by building a pipeline from Aqaba, in Jordanian territory, to transfer water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The difference in water levels would power a hydro-electric plant providing power to the world's largest desalination installation.
The salty residue of desalination would not be returned to the Red Sea where it might imperil the coral ecosystem which attracts tourists to Sharm El Sheikh and Eilat. Instead it would be deposited carefully in the Dead Sea, with environmental effects being monitored.
The desalination plant would be close to Israeli agricultural projects in the Negev Desert but remote from the main centres of population in Jordan. The solution would be for Israel to take the desalinated water from the Red Sea and in return give Jordan additional water from the Sea of Galilee. Israel would also transfer desalinated water from the Mediterranean Sea to the West Bank to mitigate their water shortage; this would strengthen the Jordanian authorities facing political criticism for cooperating with Israel in this project.
The pipeline would eventually be financed by the sale of fresh water and electricity.