Allofjo.net published a news article under the title “The Emergence of Dreadful Sinkholes in Areas Surrounding Dead Sea -Photos”
19-09-2013 06:45 P
Photos published Thursday revealed an increase in the number of large sinkholes on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.
According to the pictures published by the site ArabiaWeather.com the “Dreadful Sinkholes” continue to appear on a rate of one hole per day.
Arabia Weather quoted an expert affirming that such sinkholes appear on a rate of one hole per day, and what is frightening is that there is no way to predict the place or the timing of their appearance.”
Currently, there are approximately 3,000 sinkholes on the Palestinian side and hundreds of sinkholes on the Jordanian side that are rising in a peak regarding the pace of their sudden formation keeping in mind that the sea contained 40 depressions in 1990.
Experts point out that the emergence of the sinkholes is directly related to the rapid drying rates of the Dead Sea i.e., one meter per year. The ground, as a result, suddenly collapses and sometimes forms a large depression which poses a threat to the areas surrounding the sea such as farms, roads in addition to buildings like hotels or homes.
Sinkholes are formed as a result of the interaction between fresh water generated by rain floods or underground springs, with salt in the soil which causes these depressions, relatively to the site.
The main reason for the drying of the Dead Sea is the fact that it continues to be deprived from its feeding sources such as the Jordan River, which is used mainly by the Israeli authorities for irrigating agricultural lands. The Dead Sea is also deprived of the natural flow of other rivers in Jordan as the Wadi Mujib river, not to mention the use of it Southern section for the purposes of extracting mineral salts.
Follow the link for the original text in Arabic http://www.allofjo.org/index.php?page=article&id=54466
Translated from Arabic by Samar M. Salma FoEME’s Media Officer & Project Coordinator in Collaboration with Jordanian Manager for the SWIM project Mr., Adnan Budieri.