Roll Jordan, roll—sort of
The Friends of the Earth Middle East scored a victory this summer when some 9 million cubic meters of fresh water per year started flowing into the Jordan River.
The Century reported last year on how the Jordan has been reduced to a virtual drainage ditch by the diversion of fresh water and the discharge of pollutants. The FoEME, working with Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians, has been addressing the problem through advocacy and scientific research.
Fresh water from the Sea of Galilee now flows into the Jordan at the Alumot Dam, approximately 2 kilometers southwest of the Sea of Galilee. The dam had previously halted the flow of fresh water.
The Israeli Water Authority, which released the water, has pledged to bring up to 30 million cubic meters of fresh water into the river over the next two to three years.
