BREAKING NEWS

Planning panel advances Dead Sea salt harvest project

Advancing a long-standing project to transform the Dead Sea environment, the National Committee for Infrastructure Planning approved on Sunday plans to harvest salt from the reservoir’s southern basin, the Finance Ministry announced on Monday. The program stems from a 2012 government decision to conduct salt extraction and water pumping, which aim to curb the rising water levels that are encroaching upon the southern Dead Sea hotels while replenishing the plummeting water levels in the northern basin.
According to the plan, a new pumping station would be established north of Nahal Tze’elim, along with a conveyor belt to transport the harvested salt from the southern to the northern sections of the Dead Sea, the Finance Ministry said. This solution, the ministry explained, can enable the continued mineral extractions of the Dead Sea Works company, while minimizing both environmental impact and damage to the area’s hotels.
The project is now being transferred to the cabinet for government approval.