A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University and published in the journal Water Research argues that Israel's Jordan River may be a useful case study for the challenges facing stream restoration initiatives around the world. The Jordan River has been ravaged by unbridled population growth and defunct sewage treatment plants.
A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University and published in the journal Water Research argues that Israel's Jordan River may be a useful case study for the challenges facing stream restoration initiatives around the world. The Jordan River has been ravaged by unbridled population growth and defunct sewage treatment plants.
"No river enjoys better PR and has worse environmental conditions than the Jordan River," said Prof. Alon Tal, Chair of TAU's Department of Public Policy, who led the research. "The river has a biblical pedigree and the potential to bring about environmental cooperation."
The Jordan River now has only 3% of its original flow. It has been decimated by a drop in water supply as a result of population growth, climate change, and contamination from a range of pollution sources. Human wastewater and even fish ponds contribute to the extremely poor water quality.
"While the rehabilitation of the Jordan River is of mutual concern to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians, the benefits of this rehabilitation have been extremely difficult to convey to decisionmakers, who are aware of how much they must spend to create them," Prof. Tal said. "When the water evaporates, though, wells run dry and agricultural systems and communities quickly collapse."
Read more at American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Photo credit: Dr. Avishai Teicher via Wikimedia Commons
