The banks of the Dead Sea are under threat from soaring numbers of sinkholes that are appearing as the salt lake dries up, an environmental group has warned. EcoPeace Middle East estimates that there are more than 3,000 sinkholes now along the banks of the salt lake, which is bordered by Israel and Jordan. Water evaporation from the lake - which is occurring at nearly four feet per year - drawing freshwater into the pockets of salt left behind by the lake. Environmental groups report that there are now more than 3,000 sinkholes, shown above filled with water, along the banks of the main body of the Dead Sea, caused by the loss of water from the giant salt lake . As the salt dissolves in the fresh water, it causes the earth above it to collapse. Gidon Bromberg, director of EcoPeace Middle East claims that the appearance of the sinkholes has been accelerating in recent years. For thousands of years, the Dead Sea has attracted visitors who come to float in its salty waters and reap its reported health benefits. But the salt lake's water elves have fallen from 394 metres below sea level in the 1960s to about 423 meters below sea level at the end of 2012. As a result, the Sea’s water surface area has been reduced  by one third: from roughly 950 square kilometers to 637 square kilometers today. The water level continues  to drop at an alarming pace of 0.8 to 1.2 meters per year. The significant decline of the water level over the past 30 years is due to diversion of water from the Jordan River and from the Dead Sea itself due to population increase. The first one appeared in the 1980s, by 1990 there were 40 and by 2005 there were 1,000 holes. Now, Mr Bromberg says, a new sinkhole is appearing almost every day. Speaking to ABC News, Mr Bromberg said: 'These sink holes are a direct result of the inappropriate mismanagement of water resources in the region. 'They could develop overnight or over time, making them unpredictable and very dangerous.' Mr Bromberg and his colleagues believe the rate of these sinkholes appearing has been increased by the construction of dams and reservoirs beside the lake. Water is also pumped from the lake to be evaporated so that minerals such as potash and bromide can be extracted. Water is also pumped from the lake to help maintain the pools that sit outside the spa hotels that attract tourists from around the world. Sitting nearly 1,300ft below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest inland area in the world and has a salinity of almost 33 per cent. Sink holes like this one at Mineral Beach beside the Dead Sea on the West Bank are becoming more common . These sinkholes appeared in the fields in south east corner of the Dead Sea near to the Lisan Peninsula . It has historically been maintained by a flow of fresh water from rivers and streams that have equaled the water is loses to evaporation in the scorching heat - about 160 billion gallons a year. Now the Dead Sea is thought to receive less than 10 per cent of the water it needs to maintain its size and it has declined from being 50 miles long in the 1950s to around 30 miles long today. Warning signs now dot the shores of the lake to highlight the danger of the open pits that have been appearing as a result of the sea's shrinkage. Mr Bromberg fears that the sinkholes may soon start posing a threat to the roads and infrastructure that run alongside the Dead Sea. Israel's Transportation Ministry had to close down a stretch of its Route 90 in January after several metres on its eastern side sank by two inches. The Dead Sea is an inland lake that sits on the border between Israel and Jordan, as shown in the map above . The salt formations, seen in the aerial view above, are left behind as the mineral rich water evaporates away . This sink hole beside the Dead Sea, caused by collapsing alt deposits left by the lake, has filled with water .
Environmental group estimates there are 3,000 sinkholes beside Dead Sea . It claim that new sink holes are on the banks appearing almost every day . They say the lake is being over exploited causing it to drop by 4 feet a year . Fresh water is being drawn into salt pockets left behind by receding lake . This dissolves the underground salt, causing the earth above to collapse .