1. Water Resources in
Jordan
Challenges for the Future
January 9th 2012

2. Basic Information About Jordan
Area: 92,300 km2 (35,637 mi2)
Population: 6.4 million (2010)
Growth Rate: 3.6%
Percent of Youth: 70% (less than 30 yr)
Climate: Mediterranean to Arid
Rainfall:- 80% of the country receiving less than 100 mm of rain annually
- 4% of the country receiving more than 300 mm of rain annually
- Wet Year= 11,000 MCM, Dry Year = 5,800 MCM
Avg. annual = 8,500 MCM
Evaporation: 92.5% of water is lost to evaporation

3. Water and its Multiple uses
• Water Scarcity: Jordan is a “Water Scarce” country.
• Water Scarce Country is one with less than 1000 cubic meters of
fresh water per person per year (FAO,1997)
• < 1,700 m3/c/year “existing stress”
• < 1,000 m3/c/year “scarcity “
• < 500 m3/c/year “absolute scarcity”
• Jordan is recognized as one of the ten most water deprived countries
in the world.
• Total water withdrawal per capita: Water withdrawal is the quantity of
water removed from available sources for use in any purpose
• Comparison: (Per Capita Water Use)
• Jordan : 140 m3 /c/year
• USA : 1,550 m3/c/year
• Water Supply: 90 l/c/day < 120 l/c/day (standard)
• W.H.O. Standard for Hygiene: 50 l/c/day

4. Water and its Multiple uses
Impacts of Water Scarcity:
Countries with less than 500 cubic meters per capita per year suffer from absolute
scarcity
• Economical
• Environmental impacts
• Social Impacts
• Constraints to industrial development

5. Water and its Multiple Uses
• Competition between water sectors: Municipal, Agriculture, Industrial and
tourism.
• In Jordan, There is an apparent bias in the allocation of water towards
agriculture.
• Water Use (Agriculture: 70%, Municipal 24%, Industrial 5%, Tourism 1%)
• Municipal : 290 MCM, Industrial: 39 MCM, Irrigation: 588 MCM (2006)

6. Water Resources

7. Water Resources
• Surface water: Jordan River, Yarmouk River and Zarqa River
• Ground Water: Renewable: Yarmouk, Amman-Zarqa and Dead Sea Basins
Non-renewable: DISI AQUIFER
• Unconventional Water :Treated Wastewater, Brackish Groundwater, Desalination

8. Surface Water
Jordan River
• Catchment Area: 18,194 km2
• Flows through Lebanon, Israel,
Syria, Palestine and Jordan
• Originates from springs:
Hasbani (Lebanon), Dan
(Israel) and Banias (Golan)

9. Surface Water
Yarmouk River
• Catchment Area: 6,780 km2
• Major tributary of Jordan River
• The northern portion of the river
is between Jordan and Syria,
and southern portion is between
Jordan and Israel
• Flow decreased from 400 MCM
(1970) to 150 MCM due to
developments in the upstream
Syrian part of the catchment

10. Surface Water
Zarqa River
• Catchment Area: 4,025 km2
• The catchment area for the
Zarqa River is the most densely
populated area in Jordan
• Polluted by industrial activities
and wastewater treatment plants

11. Ground Water Resources
• Groundwater resources are over exploited.
• Above safe yield (275 MCM)
• Significant decline in water quality
• Over application of fertilizers and pesticides
• Illegal Wells.
– More than one 1,000 unlicensed wells in use
compared to 2,779 licensed wells

12. Safe Yield
Ground Water Safe Yield Total water Balance % Abstracted from
Basin (M.C.M) abstracted SafeYield
(M.C.M)
"Safe yield" means the
Yarmouk 40.0 43.3 -3.3 108.0 amount of groundwater that
can be withdrawn from a
groundwater basin over a
Side Valleys 15.0 25.9 -10.9 172.0 period of time without
exceeding the long-term
Jordan Valley 21.0 27.9 -6.9 133.0 recharge of the basin or
unreasonably affecting the
basin's physical and
Azraq 24.0 59.3 -35.3 247.0 chemical integrity.
Amman-Zarqa 87.5 138.7 -51.2 158.0
Serhan 5.0 3.8 1.2 76.0
Hammad 8.0 0.9 7.1 11.0
Dead Sea 57.0 89.3 -32.3 157.0
Desi and 125 82.1 42.9 66.0
Mudawrah
North Araba 3.5 6.7 -3.2 193.0
Valley
Red Sea 5.5 17.4 -11.9 316.0
South Araba
Valley
Jafer 9.0 24.8 -15.8 276.0
Total 275.5 520.1 -170.805

13. Disi Aquifer
• Shared Aquifer between Jordan and Saudi Arabia
• Currently Jordan pumps 77MCM, Saudi Arabia 600-700 MCM
• Aqaba pumps 17 MCM projected to go up 35 MCM
Will connect aquifer to Amman with a 325 Km pipeline.
• Aquifer will provide 100 MCM/year over 100 years.
• Price of water = JD 0.820 (Expensive water!)
• “Gap Stopping” Measure!

14. Brackish Groundwater and Desalination
• Jordan has a number of brackish water
springs with limited use.
• Salinity places restrictions on crop selection
• Plans for more desalination plants

15. Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal (Conveyor)
“The Red-Dead”
Dead Sea
• Uniqueness comes from :
– Location, Climate and Properties
– Cultural and religious treasure
– Unique environment
– Economic Attraction
What is the Problem?
– Average annual inflow to DS has decreased 1,200
MCM/yr to 250 MCM/yr leading to a water level decline
of about 1 m/yr
– Water level drop of more than 24 meters
– No action will cause loss of historic site, loss of valuable
GW resources and ecological imbalance

16. Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal (Conveyor)

17. “The Red-Dead”
Water Allocation: Jordan 570 MCM, Palestine 220 MCM, Israel 50 MCM

18. “The Red-Dead”
Shared Envision of Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Transfer
• Save The Dead sea from further environmental degradation
• Desalination water/generate energy for Jordan, Israel and
Palestine
• Build a symbol of peace and cooperation in The Middle East

19. “The Red-Dead”
Technical Challenges
• Pipeline Alignment
• Blending of Brine water with Dead Sea Water
• Seismic Activity
• Environmental impacts
• Never been tried before !

20. Household Water Supply
• Water is supplied by water companies
– Miyahuna
• Zay Water Treatment Plant (Provides about 50% of Water to City of Amman)
– Alyarmouk
– Aqaba Water Company
• Governmental institutions
– Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MOWI)
– Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ)
– Jordan Valley Authority (JVA)

21. Amman Water Supply

22. Amman Water Supply

23. Amman Water Treatment
Zay Treatment Plant

24. Household Water Supply
How is Water Supplied?
• Most areas get water once a week
– Schedule is online
– Interruptions
– Water tanks from private wells
• Water is stored in tanks located on roofs
– Maintenance issues
– Major issue in schools
• Common operational problems
– Leaky pipes (NRW)
– Air
– Inaccurate water readings
– Weak pressure tall buildings

25. Household Water Supply
• Meters
Meters
– Major source of complaint in Amman
– Analog residential meters
– Electromagnetic for large consumers
– Reading is done monthly or quarterly

26. Household Water Supply
Billing
• Household Bill
Water is subsidized

27. Household Water Supply
Jordan Statistics (Sample Size 1,000)
• 84% of respondents recognize water shortage in Jordan.
• 90% of respondents agree government should enforce penalties on
people who misuse water.
• 71% of respondents disagree the government should raise water tariffs.
• 75% of respondents had no garden.
• 49% of respondents had no car to wash.
• 42% of respondents had flush toilets.
• 73% of respondents had no automatic washing machine.
• Source: KAP Household-Baseline Survey (2010) USAID-PAP

28. End Use Analysis

29. Household Water Supply
Challenges
• Water is transported in highland areas
– Electricity cost
– Pumping cost
• Water supply challenges
– Population increase
– Resource limitation
– Transporting water from source to where it is needed
– Water Quality issues
• Customers in Amman do not trust tap water due to negative
experiences in the past!

30. Household Demand Management
Why?
• Jordanian efforts towards water resources have been “Supply Driven”.
– Capital investment of new water supply projects
• By 2020, total demand for water 1,685 MCM while available water
resources are 850 MCM. Shortfall of 396 MCM.
• Shift to Water Demand Management and conservation is essential to
Jordan.
– More emphasis on behaviors and economic uses (efficiency and
conservation)

31. Household Demand Management
National Water Strategy (1997)
• Strategy states that “resource management shall continually aim at achieving
the highest possible efficiency in the conveyance, distribution, application and
use”
– Promotion of water saving systems and devices
• WDM Programs in Jordan
– USAID-WEPIA (Water Efficiency and Public Information for Action Program).
– USAID-IDARA (Instituting Water Demand Management in Jordan)- (On-going)
– USAID-PAP (Public Action Project for Water, Energy and Environment)- (On-going)

32. Household Demand Management
• USAID-IDARA
– Increasing water awareness through media
– Introduce WDM concepts in school curriculums
– Plumbing Code (retrofitting)
– Solar Energy Code
– Water Efficiency Guides for variety of water consumers
• USAID-PAP
– Efficiency (Technology)
• Aerators: 33% penetration in Jordan
• Showerheads: Difficult to promote-Plumbing issues
• Dual-flush toilets: House renovations
• Labeling : Energy Star, Water Sense

33. Household Demand Management
• Plumbing Code
– Rain Water Harvesting
• Mandatory in all New Houses
– Greywater Reuse
• water from baths, showers, hand basins and washing machines

34. Household Demand Management
– Conservation (Behaviors)
Themes
Appliances Indoor Maintenance Outdoor
Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You Designate one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and Water your lawn and garden in the morning or
can save up to 3,785 liters a month. A half empty load is wasted water. bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash. water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks. evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize
evaporation.
When buying new appliances, consider those that offer cycle and load Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your
size adjustments. They're more water and energy efficient. them clean. bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
3,785 liters a month.
When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load. Turn off the water while you wash your hair to save up to 568 liters a Listen for dripping faucets and running toilets. Fixing a leak can Group plants with the same watering needs
month. save 1,136 liters a month or more. together to avoid overwatering some while
underwatering others.
When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load. Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 1,136 liters a month. Do plumbing maintenance once a year. Don't wait till you have Insulate hot water pipes for more immediate hot
a visible leak. It may have been going on unnoticed for a long water at the faucet and for energy savings.
time.
Washing dark clothes in cold water saves both on water and energy To save water and time, consider washing your face or brushing your Check your water bill. If the volume of water you are using
while it helps your clothes to keep their colors. teeth while in the shower. suddenly spikes, you may have a leak.
When shopping for a new clothes washer, compare resource savings Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up or runs. Use At work, alert the building maintenance men if the toilet or
among Energy Star models. Some of these can save up to 76 liters per this water to clean vegetables and fruits; flush toilets; water plants; faucets leak.
load, and energy too. wash dishes--it's treated water and clean.
Use cold water even for white washes. All detergents are now When you are washing your hands, don't let the water run while you
formulated for cold water. Re-set your washing machine for cold or lather.
tepid water
If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace
the showerhead with a water-efficient model.
Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save up to 568 liters
gallons per month.
Use a water-efficient showerhead. They're inexpensive, easy to install,
and can save you up to 2,839 liters a month.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save 95 liters a
month.
If your toilet flapper doesn't close after flushing, replace it.
Make sure there are water-saving aerators on all of your faucets.
Use a hose nozzle or turn off the water while you wash your car. You'll
save up to 379 liters every time.
If your toilet was installed before 1992, reduce the amount of water
used for each flush by inserting a displacement device in the tank;
replacing the toilet; or replacing the flush mechanism. Ask your
plumber.
Teach your children to turn off faucets tightly after each use.

35. Thank You !