The Dead Sea in Jordan is shrinking at an alarming rate, causing some 3,000 massive sinkholes to spread along the coasts of the sea, and with many more expected to come.

The sea has shrunk by a third since the 1960s when its major water source – the River Jordan – was diverted for upstream projects in Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Now, the projects have backfired for many residents and farmers that live or work near the sea, as the once verdant and fertile land is become increasingly barren.

And the fact that the ground can open up at any time and swallow whatever in its path is a deepening problem for many.

From Ghor Al Haditha, a farm village, Nisreen el Shamayleh reports.