Water Resources in Jordan ?

Water

1) Introduction

The water crisis in Jordan is considered one of the most important subjects in the minds of polititians who consider it a source of power which they can use as a weapon, in addition to the ordinary people who need it for irrigation, industry and regular daily use.

This article presents an overview of water resources in Jordan, " which are limited "

And some present water use in Jordan.

2) What are the water resources in Jordan?

The potential for water resources in Jordan ranges from 1,000-2,000 mcm including recycled treated wastewater. There are possibilities for additional resources by restoration of water rights from the Jordan River. Incremental water supply can be increased through expensive measures such as cross boundary transfer of water and desalination.

In 1993, about 983 mcm of water were exploited by various sectors. Renewable and nonrenewable groundwater contributed about 534 mcm, while surface water contributed only 401 mcm.

The Jordan River

The Jordan River

English: Pumping station that takes water from Uta...

The remaining 48 mcm came from treated wastewater. The 1993 water consumption from all resources is divided as follows:

214 mcm for municipal purposes, around 738 mcm for agricultural irrigation of about 625,000 dunums ( 65,000 hectars ).

Table 1 represents a summary of the development and utilization of Jordan's water resources.

Table 1: Development and utilization of water resources since 1986 till 2000 (mcm):

3) Present Water Use in Jordan

3.1) Irrigation:

Irrigation water requirements in 1991 amounted to 800 mcm. Of this, about 642 mcm were available, including 46 mcm of treated wastewater. Irrigation requirment estimates were based on the adopted cropping patterns and the calculated crop requirements per unit area of the irrigated land. Part of the deficit was met through overabstraction from aquifers. However, part of the irritable area was left fallow and cropping intensities had to be reduced due...