French, British firms win contracts to study Dead Sea canal project

( dpa ) - Two European firms have won a tender to carry out a feasibility study and an environmental appraisal for the proposed multi-billion-dollar Red Sea-Dead Sea canal, Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Musa Jamaini said Sunday.

French company Coyne Et Bellier was awarded the contract for the feasibility study, while Environmental Resources Management of Britain won the tender to carry out the environmental and social assessment of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project.

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