AMMAN —
Experts and officials in Jordan, one of the world’s most water-scarce countries
in the world, are pushing for new strategies to utilize water and agricultural
resources as the country braces for an even hotter and drier
summer.
اضافة اعلان
Per capita
water use in
Jordan is expected to drop to half its current rate by the end of
this century, according to a peer-reviewed study by an international team
published in Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences.
Acting
Secretary General of the Water Authority of Jordan Ahmad Olimat told Jordan
News that "there should be one ministry that is specialised in both
agriculture and water."
"Agriculture
and water are highly relevant,” explained the acting secretary general. There
is “no agriculture without water, so if we really want to protect agriculture,
we must protect our water sources."
"We in
Jordan have a wide range of agricultural produce and that is the result of the
geographical diversity in our country," Olimat said. "We need to leverage
this by focusing on the importance of cultivating the land in the right way. This
will help us get a larger quantity of agricultural crops too."
Olimat pointed
to the link between water resources and Jordan’s food security. "If the
government really wants to benefit from agriculture in Jordan, it must work
efficiently on food security strategies and have real future plans,” he argued.
“This will not happen if we do not have professional ministers that really want
to work and make a difference."
Olimat
criticized some of the government’s policies towards agriculture. "We
unfortunately lost some important and huge agricultural lands due to land
regularization laws," he said. "The government should reconsider such
laws and be aware that we need these lands for cultivation,” especially large
swathes of land that allow for mass cultivation.
However,
the secretary general also identified some strong agricultural strategies developed
in Jordan, including a seed bank, which stores different seeds to preserve
genetic diversity in the case of extinction or endangerment of species.
"We in
the Hashemite University, where I work, have developed a seed bank that is
worth millions. I believe that such project is a pride that helps in improving
agriculture,” Olimat said.
"One
must be creative and start thinking about his own initiative to help develop his
society. Do not wait for the opportunities, create them," Olimat added.
"I
believe that we in Jordan have great quantities of water, and different water
sources. We just need to know how to benefit from these sources correctly,” he
said.
Likewise,
energy expert Zuhair Sadeq told Jordan News that "I truly believe
that we have different water sources in Jordan that we are not benefiting from.
Unfortunately we are losing rain water due to some certain conditions. "
He also
pointed out water waste at the level of the individual consumer. "Some
people use water the wrong way. How many times do we see a person who is using
a large amount of water just to wash his car for example?" Sadeq asked.
"If we really want to save water, we must know how to use it the right
way."
“Our
biggest problem is that we are using water in large amounts, and at the same
time, we are not looking for new and alternative solutions to get water,” said
Elias Salameh, a water expert, in an interview with Jordan News.
"We
consume more than 650 million cubic meters of water each year, which means that
if we keep on consuming this great amount each year, (the supply of)
underground water will be depleted,” he said. "We must look for alternative
ways to get water — and this will not happen without clear strategies and
plans."
"Vegetables
like tomatoes for example, consume huge amounts of water and in return give low
financial return,” Salameh added. “We must know what kind of vegetables or
fruits we should plant to help in saving water and (achieving) food security as
well."
A source
from the Ministry of Agriculture told Jordan News that "the ministry has
different strategies and plans for food security. The ministry is working hard
along with other different ministries, such as the Ministry of Water, to
develop projects that take into account the optimal investment of water sources
and to agree on cultivating vegetables and fruits that do not need large
amounts of water yet give a high financial return."
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