Mediterranean-Dead Sea Canal

The Mediterranean-Dead Sea canal (MDSC) is a proposed project to dig a canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, taking advantage of the 400-metre difference in water level between the seas. It is not to be confused with the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal (RSDSC). The project could correct the drop in the level of the Dead Sea observed in recent years. The canal could also be used to generate hydroelectric power because of surface difference and maybe by salinity gradient power, and desalinate water by reverse osmosis.

History

The idea was first proposed by William Allen in 1855 in an oeuvre called 'The Dead Sea – A new route to India'. At that time it was not yet known that the Dead Sea lies below sea level, and Allen proposed this canal as an alternative to the Suez Canal. Later, many engineers and politicians picked up on the idea, including Theodor Herzl in his 1902 novel Altneuland.In the Hebrew translation by Nahum Sokolow, Book 4, chapter III : "האדיר במפעליו, התעלה המחברת...
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