Israelis, Palestinians ink U.S.-backed water deal

Israel and the Palestinian Authority announced a deal Thursday that will provide 32 million cubic meters of drinking water to the West Bank and Gaza annually.


The deal, brokered by U.S. envoy Jason Greenblatt, will transfer salty water from the Red Sea to a massive desalination plant where it will be made drinkable. It will then be sold under a trilateral agreement to Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan.

The salty runoff will be carried via a pipeline to help replenish the Dead Sea, which is shrinking away at a rate of about 3 feet per year.

The latter half of the project has been hailed by environmentalists as a significant step in saving the Dead Sea, the world's lowest-lying body of water. As the water runs downhill toward the Dead Sea it will generate hydroelectric power that will fuel the desalination plant.
 [upi.com]
13/7/17
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