AMMAN — The results of a poll conducted by the
Arab Barometer show that 44 percent of
Jordanians consider the water is one of the most prominent environmental
problem facing the country.
اضافة اعلان
According to water and environment experts who spoke
to
Jordan News, this concern is not surprising, given that Jordan is the
second most water scarce country in the world.
Environmental expert Duraid Mahasneh told
Jordan
News that the reason for this concern “is the water shortage that we suffer
from and the weakness of water projects implemented on the ground”.
He said that the parliament’s weak performance and
lack of accountability in regard to the water file “led to this crisis”,
stressing that the government should address the water crisis as a matter of
priority.
He also stressed the need for the private sector to
be involved in the implementation of water projects, as “this will attract more
capital for the purpose of drilling wells or desalination”.
According to former minister of water and
irrigation, Motasem Saidan, the percentage of people worried about the water
situation could be “60 percent or more, based on the existing and expected
shortage of water in the next few years”.
Chairman of the
Jordan Environmental Union Omar
Shoshan said that “the water crisis is due to drought and the disparity in
rainfall in the different regions of the country, with the southern region not
getting more than 37 percent”.
He believes the dams in the south dried up because
of weak precipitation, the rise in temperatures, and water violations.
He added that 13 aquifers in the Kingdom “have
declined because there is no water feeding them”, and that due to evaporation,
the level of water in dams is also dropping.
According to Shoshan, the per capita share of water
in Jordan is decreasing “due to climate changes and an increase in the
population”.
“The per capita share of 140 cubic meters per year
may decrease to 90 cubic meters if Jordan does not implement the National Water
Carrier Project, which will supply 350 million cubic meters per year,” he said,
stressing the need for water projects to support development plans and to make
Jordan water stable.
Susan Kilani, water management specialist, stressed
that rising temperatures increase evaporation and lack of precipitation
“weakens water sources”.
She also blamed some practices “made by
irresponsible people” who destroy the environment, and build on the course of
waterways.
To deal with this problem, “it is necessary to have
laws and control these illegal actions strictly, since the penalties are not commensurate
with the extent of damage inflicted”, she pointed out.
Kilani said that “we must take immediate steps in
order to preserve the current resources and enhance the efficiency of usage”,
stressing the “need to use technology to ration water”.
She noted that “unprecedented recklessness”
contributed to depleting aquifers.
“In a meeting of water experts at Stanford
University, it was mentioned that controlling violations of water sources is
more important than finding new sources,” she said.
According to Kilani, if the situation continues as it is, 50
percent of the Jordanian population will have a share of less than 40 cubic
meters per year.
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