Mira Edelstein on the Demise of the Jordan River

DEMISE OF THE JORDAN RIVER: How a looming ecological disaster may foster Mideast cooperation

By Mira Edelstein

The Jordan River Valley, situated in the Great Rift Valley, is of worldwide cultural, religious and geographical significance. Yet the diversion of over 90 per cent of its fresh water, in addition to discharging large quantities of untreated sewage, threatens to irreversibly damage the area.  Israel, Jordan and Syria have all diverted its upstream waters for domestic and agricultural uses, leaving precious little fresh water for the river and its once thriving ecosystem.

Historically, the River Jordan has always been a meeting place and crossing point for plants, animals, and human societies.  The most concrete visual example of the historical tradition of river crossings can be seen at a spot appropriately named "Old Bridges" where three bridges span the river – a 2000 year-old Roman bridge, an old Ottoman-era bridge, and a more recent structure from the British Mandate period.

Plenty of archaeological evidence on either side of the river's banks, from cities like Beit She’an (Israel), Pella and Umm Qais (Jordan), also shows commercial and cultural connections between major cities of the valley.  Parallel developments through several historical periods – similar types of pottery, mosaics and iron tools – indicate that cities across the valley had the similar populations, from an anthropological perspective.

The Jordan River's rich symbolic value to three of the world’s major religions make it by far the greatest attraction for tourists.  The River Jordan is mentioned in several Biblical stories.  Genesis 13:10-11 refers to the beauty of the Jordan Valley: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord.”   The river is also closely associated with the life of Jesus, where he is traditionally believed to have been baptized.  Although the exact site of the Baptism of Jesus is disputed, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock each year to sites on either side of the river to be close to the original site.  In addition, many of the venerable companions to the Prophet Mohammad are buried near its banks, making it a holy site for Muslims around the world as well.

The Jordan Valley is also a lush, wetland ecosystem that is the biological heart of the region.  In addition to the flora and fauna along the ground, the valley is one of the world’s most important crossroads for migratory birds – 500 million birds migrate each spring and autumn season – an attraction to birdwatchers from across the globe.

Sadly, in the last 50 years, the Jordan’s annual flow has dropped from more than 1.3 billion cubic meters per year to less than 100 million cubic meters. With Israel, Jordan and Syria each grabbing as much clean water as they can, it is ironically the sewage that is keeping the river alive today.

"Israel and Jordan are now at peace.  Why do we have to continue competing as if to prove who takes out more water from the Jordan River?" questions Munqeth Mehyar, chairman of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), a unique Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli organization promoting sustainable development and peace in the Middle East.

FoEME has embarked on a broad campaign to raise awareness of the demise of the Lower Jordan River.  Since much of the river is a closed military zone and off limits to the public, most people simply do not know that the river is drying up.  The "Unity Dam" being built by Jordan and Syria on the Yarmouk River, the Jordan's largest tributary, is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year. This dam will capture winter floodwaters from the Yarmouk, preventing their flow into the Jordan. Then the River Jordan would be almost completely dry by the end of the dry season in the summer of 2006.

After spending a year learning from experts in the region of the past history and glory of the river valley, as well as researching alternatives that can be presented to the relevant governments on programs of rehabilitation and conservation, FoEME organized a conference to publicly address the issue.  Under the patronage of Jordan's Prince Hassan Bin Talal, this conference was aptly held on the "Peace Island" – an island formed at the juncture of the Jordan and Yarmouk Rivers – and was attended by high-level Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian and international figures, and given wide media attention.

Regarding the diversion of the river's waters, Prince Hassan Bin Talal said: "I don't see why we have to continue with the policy of mutually assured destruction of the environment and resources."  He explained that the River Jordan need no longer be a symbol of separation.  It has historically been the site for exchange between peoples, cultures and ideas, and this interaction should continue. 

Israel's Environment Minister, Shalom Simchon, told the conference that his government had "long recognized the urgent need for action [and] it is a high national priority."

Presently, there is no comprehensive plan of action for the Jordan River Valley.  On the contrary, Israel and Jordan are not meeting their treaty obligations for the ecological revival of the river, as stipulated in Annex IV of their 1994 peace agreement. "One of the most important conference outcomes is that we have succeeded in truly placing the issue of the future of the Jordan River on the public agenda," FoEME's Israeli director, Gidon Bromberg, said afterwards.

The economic benefits of rehabilitating the Jordan River Valley are manifold and can be shared by all peoples neighboring the river. Among these benefits: increased tourism and economic investment, enhanced public health, the preservation of an important site of religious and cultural heritage, the strengthening of regional cooperation, and averting future international tensions over scarce water resources.

FoEME proposes to harness the UNESCO guidelines for conservation by encouraging the Jordan River's designation as a "World Heritage Site," to insure proper environmental management and conservation of the Jordan River Valley and to create a forum of dialogue among the nationalities inhabiting the Jordan Valley .

FoEME recently sponsored the "Big Jump," modeled after the European tradition of "taking responsibility" for your local rivers by literally jumping in. Eight mayors and municipal representatives from the Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian communities along the Jordan River literally jumped into the Jordan River in a common call to clean up the river. They all agreed that the current state of the Jordan River is detering the development of tourism and compromising the natural and cultural riches of the river valley.

"The River Jordan is at a critical juncture and is in danger of disappearing altogether if governments in the region do not take action immediately,” said Mr. Bromberg.

MIRA EDELSTEIN works in the Tel-Aviv offices of EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East. FoEME is a regional organization that brings together Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian environmentalists. She is leading the campaign in Israel for the Rehabilitation of the Jordan River Valley, a project that deals with cross border cooperation for ecological rehabilitation of the river, promotion of cultural heritage in the valley as well as advancement of eco-tourism projects. Ms Edelstein is also in charge of foreign media relations for FoEME and is the resource development officer, responsible for applying to and relating with funders.  Contact information for EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East: 85 Nahalat Binyamin St., Tel Aviv 66102, Israel; telephone – 972-3-5605383; fax – 972-3-5604693; e-mail – mira@foeme.org; Web site <www.foeme.org>.