A looming water crisis in one of the most contentious regions in the world offers a glimpse of what the rest of the world may face in the decades ahead.
The Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea are disappearing because of climate change, mismanagement, and pollution, threatening further instability within and in between already-tense countries, according to the Associated Press.
Israel, Palestine, and Jordan all depend on these bodies of waters for drinking water and agriculture.
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The bodies of water are also religiously meaningful to people around the world who visit them as part of pilgrimages, AP reports.
The flow of the Jordan River has shrunk by 60% in recent years, the Dead Sea has diminished by 60%, and the Sea of Galilee is suffering from drought.
Elsewhere in the world, water crises are affecting billions of people.
Lake Chad, for instance, has shrunk by 95% over the past several decades, putting millions of people at risk of famine. In Shanghai, 85% of the city’s major drinking rivers are too polluted to draw water from. Melting glaciers throughout Asia, meanwhile, threaten to deprive millions of people of drinking water in the years ahead.
By 2025, two-thirds of the global population could face water scarcity.
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The tiny zone of holy water in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine is already facing a crisis and the AP captured the situation in a startling photo series.
People enjoy a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on Dec. 8, 2017. The Dead Sea, a marvel of the natural world, is shrinking.
People enjoy a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on Dec. 8, 2017. The Dead Sea, a marvel of the natural world, is shrinking.
Israelis cross the Jordan River as part of their tour near the Israeli village of Menahemia on Jan. 17, 2017. The Jordan River, known for its prominence in the Bible, could be best described along much of its length as a creek.
Israelis cross the Jordan River as part of their tour near the Israeli village of Menahemia on Jan. 17, 2017. The Jordan River, known for its prominence in the Bible, could be best described along much of its length as a creek.
Israelis camp out on the banks of the Jordan River near the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Kinneret on Oct. 11, 2017. Israel is heading into its fifth year of drought, putting three celebrated biblical bodies of water at risk.
Israelis camp out on the banks of the Jordan River near the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Kinneret on Oct. 11, 2017. Israel is heading into its fifth year of drought, putting three celebrated biblical bodies of water at risk.
A woman walks next to sinkholes along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on April 2, 2017.
A woman walks next to sinkholes along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on April 2, 2017.
People enjoy a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on Nov. 24, 2017.
People enjoy a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on Nov. 24, 2017.
Swimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim, the oldest and most popular swimming event, near Tiberias, northern Israel on Sept. 16, 2017. The Sea of Galilee, the country's main water source, already stands at a century low.
Swimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim, the oldest and most popular swimming event, near Tiberias, northern Israel on Sept. 16, 2017. The Sea of Galilee, the country's main water source, already stands at a century low.
A Brazilian priest baptizes a Christian pilgrim in the Jordan River at Yardenit baptismal site in northern Israel on Jan. 31, 2017.
A Brazilian priest baptizes a Christian pilgrim in the Jordan River at Yardenit baptismal site in northern Israel on Jan. 31, 2017.
A Palestinian shepherd herds his flock near the Israeli settlement of Tomer in the Jordan Valley on April 2, 2017.
A Palestinian shepherd herds his flock near the Israeli settlement of Tomer in the Jordan Valley on April 2, 2017.
An aerial view of the abandoned Kalya water park on the Dead Sea shore is pictured on Nov. 28, 2017.
An aerial view of the abandoned Kalya water park on the Dead Sea shore is pictured on Nov. 28, 2017.
Israelis recite morning prayers in an abandoned restaurant overlooking the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on Oct. 17, 2017.
Israelis recite morning prayers in an abandoned restaurant overlooking the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on Oct. 17, 2017.
Tourists shower as they enjoy the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on Oct. 16, 2017.
Tourists shower as they enjoy the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on Oct. 16, 2017.
Swimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim, the oldest and most popular swimming event, near Tiberias, northern Israel on Sept. 16, 2017. The Sea of Galilee, the country's main water source, already stands at a century low.
Swimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim, the oldest and most popular swimming event, near Tiberias, northern Israel on Sept. 16, 2017.