Infodoc : Sciences, Techniques et Culture

Water shortage is a serious issue in Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom is one of the countries that suffer from limited water resources and where water supply unmet water demand in 2014. The expanding population, the hosting of refugees and the climate change make extreme pressure on these limited resources (GLOWA Jordan River). The annual per capita share of water was only estimated to 145 m3 in 2010 (Grover et al.). Conventional water supply in Jordan comes first from groundwater sources and then from rainwater harvesting and surface water collected mainly by dams. But in addition to these conventional sources, unconventional practices such as the reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and the project to carry desalinated water from Red Sea are and would be implemented. Jordan Vall[...]

Water shortage is a serious issue in Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom is one of the countries that suffer from limited water resources and where water supply unmet water demand in 2014. The expanding population, the hosting of refugees and the climate change make extreme pressure on these limited resources (GLOWA Jordan River). The annual per capita share of water was only estimated to 145 m3 in 2010 (Grover et al.). Conventional water supply in Jordan comes first from groundwater sources and then from rainwater harvesting and surface water collected mainly by dams. But in addition to these conventional sources, unconventional practices such as the reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and the project to carry desalinated water from Red Sea are and would be implemented. Jordan Valley is a crucial area for the country due to its strategic importance considering its concentration of main agricultural and economic activities source of development for the country. Approximately 75% of the population are located in the four northern governorates which are Amman, Irbid, Zarqa and Balqa (Malkawi, 2003). The combination of water scarcity and increasing water demand lead Jordanian government to look for alternative solutions such as reduction of Non-Revenue Water, extension of dams, improvement and creation of Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) generating still more Treated Waste Water (TWW), promotion of reduced demand technologies and policies by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and other stakeholders, and the enhancement of transboundary resources. These reforms lead to reconsider the use of water, the realised allocations, the governance and more globally the legislative frames of management of the resource in water.