The Dead Sea is likely to disappear completely.

The Dead Sea's water level is dropping at a rate of about one meter per year, mainly due to human activities.

The Dead Sea's water level is dropping about a meter a year. Photo: Moritz Kustner.

Environmental group EcoPeace Middle East says the water level of the Dead Sea, a salt lake that straddles the border between the West Bank, Israel and Jordan, is dropping at an alarming rate of about a meter per year, CNN reported.

The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest lakes in the world, with a salinity of about 34%. Due to shrinking in recent years, the lake's water is becoming saltier.

In early November, nearly 30 people from around the world swam the 15km Dead Sea, from Jordan to Israel, to raise awareness of the declining water levels. They wore masks to protect their eyes and mouths, but one participant still described the experience as “like acid burning your eyeballs”.

"It's a harsh environment for people who live here or come here. The lake water is so salty that if you taste it, it's no longer salt water but tastes like poison," said photographer Moritz Küstner.

Human activity is the main cause of this. “It is not one country but the whole region that is destroying the Dead Sea,” says Küstner.

The Dead Sea draws its water from other natural sources around it. However, in the 1960s, many of its water sources were diverted, such as when Israel built a pipeline to supply water throughout the country.

Human activity is the main cause of the lake's decline. Photo: Moritz Kustner.

"The mining industry is also a reason for the drop in water levels," said an expert.

The minerals of the Dead Sea are said to cure many diseases and are often used in cosmetics and other consumer products.

Another reason is that the dry, hot climate of the Middle East makes it difficult for the lake to replenish its water supply.

Last year, Israel and Jordan signed a $900 million agreement to stabilize the Dead Sea. They plan to dig a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, supplying water to both countries and pumping about 300 million cubic meters of water a year into the Dead Sea.

The canal is expected to be completed in three years and its effectiveness will take time to test.

According to VNE