By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN - An economic feasibility study and environmental assessment of the $2-4 billion Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project, or Red-Dead Canal, is scheduled to start within three weeks, a senior water official said Saturday.

The French company, Coyne Et Bellier, has won the tender to carry out the feasibility probe, while the British company, Environmental Resources Management, will implement the environmental and social assessment of the mega multipurpose project, Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Musa Jamaini told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

A total of six companies from the US, Germany, Canada, France and Italy were prequalified to carry out the feasibility study in cooperation with local consultants. Four other firms from the US, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK were shortlisted for conducting the environmental assessment.

"We are now working on preparing the agreements to be signed with the two companies and within three weeks, we will give them the go-ahead to commence on the studies," Jamaini said.

The water official added that the feasibility study and the environmental assessment were scheduled to be completed in two years, however, due to the extreme importance of the project, there are plans to reduce the period to 18 months.

Jamaini added that so far, about $10.5 million has been raised for the two studies. The bulk of the funds was from France, the US and other countries including Canada, Japan, Spain, Greece and other European countries.

The Red-Dead Canal Project is part of international efforts to save the Dead Sea, which has been dropping at the rate of one metre per year, largely due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River for agricultural and industrial use.

During the past 20 years alone, it has plunged more than 30 metres, with experts warning that it could dry up within 50 years.

Due to the water level drop, the sea's surface area has shrunk by about 33 per cent over the last 55 years with an average annual inflow decrease from 1,200 million cubic metres (mcm) to around 250mcm of water.

The environment-focused project seeks to pump one billion cubic metres annually with the aim of raising the water levels in the shrinking lake from 408 metres below sea level to 315 metres.

The project, which will alleviate pressure on renewable and nonrenewable water resources in the region by providing about 850mcm of potable water annually, entails the construction of a 200-kilometre canal from Aqaba on the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

The canal, to be built along the border with Israel in Wadi Araba, will generate electricity as water will be drawn from the Red Sea, and then released into the Dead Sea, which lies 400 metres below sea level.

Additional advantages in the secondary stage will include a hydroelectric power-generating project and a desalination plant expected to produce 850mcm of potable water to be divided between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.