Once one of the cradles of humanity — Jericho, one of the oldest human settlements sits near its northern shore — today the Dead Sea has become a prime tourist attraction and a source of revenue for Jordanian industry.
The Dead Sea is a liquid enclave caught between the mountains of Israel and Jordan. At about 400m below sea level it is the lowest point on earth. “A million years ago, a major earthquake causing the Syrian-African Rift created the Dead Sea, which was deprived of its natural outflow to the sea,” said Dr. Ussama Qutaishat from Jordan’s Universal Labs. It is fed by freshwater from the Jordan River as well as by small springs and streams. As the Dead Sea water evaporates, salts accumulate in the lake and in its sediments, a natural process resulting in high salt concentration estimated at 33%, over 10 times higher than the Mediterranean.
From this wonder of nature many industries have sprung to life, with hotels and spas rising around the salty lake, and tourists flocking to the area all year round, seeking the many benefits offered by the Dead Sea. On the Jordanian side, industrial conversion of sediments into products is done by one company. Qutaishat pointed out, “On the industry level, the Arab Potash Company is responsible for the production and marketing of a variety of chemical products extracted from the minerals of the Dead Sea as well as raw materials for the cosmetic industry.”
An expanding industry
The Dead Sea cosmetics industry revolves around the mineral-rich salts and mud harvested from the lake. Components are mainly magnesium, calcium, bromides and potassium. These ingredients are known for treating a variety of ailments and skin conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, stress and other disorders. “Minerals also disinfect, purify and nourish, deep cleanse and firm as well as tighten the skin,” Qutaishat added.
The Dead Sea industry in Jordan began in the late 1980s. According to the Dead Sea Cosmetics Cluster by the Jordan Ministry of Planning, by 2003 there were around 48 registered companies, 36 of which are export-oriented small and medium companies engaged in manufacturing Dead Sea products, with a total investment capital of $10 million, and giving jobs to around 750 workers.
“Jordan and Israel are the only two producers of Dead Sea cosmetics in the world but Israel has been engaged in this particular activity long before us,” explained Munir Haddad, international marketing manager at Rivage (Al-Mawared Natural Beauty Products Corporation). According to the Dead Sea Cluster, in 2003 Jordan sold 2.7 million tons of Dead Sea cosmetics, while Israel supplied the world with 29.6 million tons.
The Jordanian Dead Sea cosmetic industry caters mainly to foreign markets. Haddad estimates that around 60% of the company’s production is exported to more than 35 countries in North America, Europe, the Arab World and the Far East. The manager also explained that, whereas Israel’s Dead Sea cosmetic exports are worth about $200 million, Jordan generates less than 10% of that amount.
Both cosmetic companies agreed that local consumption of Dead Sea products is hindered by the reluctance of Jordanians to use local products and their unfamiliarity with the many benefits offered by Dead Sea product lines, a factor which may account for the industry’s focus on export. “The Dead Sea cosmetic sector is still relatively new in Jordan and remains a very challenging one due to the Israeli competition. It has also taken some time to develop as it has been slowed by red tape and bureaucracy. Nonetheless, perceptions are slowly changing as people start realizing the importance of Dead Sea cosmetics,” said Qutaishat.
According to Haddad, Dead Sea products are mainly marketed through hotels and spas, and can also be found in department stores, pharmacies and airport duty free sections. Qutaishat pointed out that as of this year, his lines will be available in five Arab airports.
However, cosmetics are not the only products derived from the Dead Sea. Other items include potash for the agricultural and chemical industries, while some international companies also use Dead Sea salt in saline solutions.
These industries are closely linked to the fate of the Dead Sea. In recent years, the surface of the sea has shrunk significantly with water levels having fallen by about 26 meters, or an average 90 centimeters every year, according to Dr. Sufyan Tell, former director of the Jordanian Department. Too much of the Jordan River’s water, the Dead Sea’s lifeline, is used for agriculture purposes and in towns.
“The Dead Sea originally consisted of two basins, a larger, deep northern basin and a shallow southern one, which are separated by a peninsula called Al-Lisan — meaning ‘the tongue’ in Arabic,” Tell said. Today, the southern basin is essentially dry and includes evaporation ponds used by Israeli and Jordanian potash plants. Ecological damage to the Dead Sea lies in the loss of fresh water springs, river bed erosion, and the further decline of sea levels, which are likely to cause more severe environmental, cultural, and economic damage.
Reviving the Dead Sea
In 2005 Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority publicly committed themselves to studying the feasibility of transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, via a canal — dubbed “Red-to-Dead” — as a solution to stop the rapid decline of water levels in the Dead Sea. The project envisions desalinating water and generating energy for Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority by putting to use the 400 meter difference in elevation between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea to produce electricity.
“However, the project holds critical environmental and technical challenges and much of it will expand on Jordanian land. In addition, the Red Sea and Dead Sea waters will not mix properly, which will certainly alter water quality and structure in the Dead Sea,” Tell explained. The scientist expects the connection of the two seas to contribute to a layered effect in the Dead Sea rather than a deep mixing of the two solutions as a layer of seawater will come to rest atop the dense hyper-saline solution, leading to a change in water color. “The project will also negatively affect the industries derived from the Dead Sea, such as the Arab Potash company, which will be flooded while Israeli structures, built on higher grounds remain unscathed. The cosmetics industry will most probably be affected as well,” he believes.
Once the right level is reached, the rate of inflow would have to be adjusted to preserve the water balance between the fresh and salty water. Tell doubts that Jordan will truly benefit from the project, which is estimated to cost $4-6 billion and whose main positive effects will be on the Israeli side.
However, with the Dead Sea’s water level continuing to fall and a decline of water consumption from the Jordan River out of the question, the Red-to-Dead Canal may be the only way to ensure that in a few more decades the Dead Sea will be nothing more than a dry, salt-crusted hole in the ground.
