Amman — Perhaps the most pressing question in the global water crisis is no longer how to find more water, but how to transform limited resources into more resilient systems. This shift is pushing water into a new space where investment intersects with technology, partnerships with innovation, and resource management with economic and climate security.
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The transformation is reflected in the agenda of the World Economic Forum, which places innovative financing, partnerships and innovation at the heart of efforts to address the global water crisis.
For Jordan, water-sector experts told Al Ghad that these global shifts are closely aligned with the country’s water reality and address the core of its challenge: limited resources that require maximizing the value of every drop, new water sources that demand major investment, networks that need more efficient technologies, and shared water resources that make regional cooperation part of the equation for water security.
At a time when the World Economic Forum is pushing, according to a report obtained by Al Ghad, to close the water investment gap through more suitable financing mechanisms, expand basin-level partnerships and accelerate the adoption of scalable technologies and solutions, Jordan faces the challenge of moving from strategies and projects toward a more integrated implementation framework, experts said.
The question, therefore, is whether the sector has sufficient tools to capitalize on this global shift, and what should take priority in the next phase: investment, technology, partnerships, or an integrated combination of all three.
Experts stressed that Jordan already possesses many of the elements needed for such an approach, including its National Water Strategy, water-loss reduction policies, digital transformation, non-conventional water sources and climate resilience measures. However, they said the next phase will depend on maximizing integration among these tracks and accelerating their translation into tangible results.
They recommended accelerating efforts to build a comprehensive water security system based on desalination, the use of technology and artificial intelligence, stronger public-private partnerships, and greater regional and international cooperation.
Growing Risks
International water-sector expert Dr. Dureid Mahasneh said the global shifts apply directly to Jordan, which faces growing risks related to water and energy. This makes strengthening resource security part of national and economic security, particularly because, as he put it, “we cannot import water.”
He pointed to Jordan’s vulnerability due to its reliance on sources connected to Syria and Israel, calling for greater development of domestic sources and reduced exposure to external risks, alongside increased private-sector investment in developing wells and water resources.
Mahasneh also stressed the importance of improving water-use efficiency, particularly in agriculture, through better irrigation and management practices. He called for giving technology and innovation greater priority in water extraction and management, linking water and energy, and expanding the use of renewable energy to reduce operating costs and emissions.
He also called for greater use of external financing and grants to develop water sources and improve infrastructure efficiency, stressing that water resilience is not only about increasing supply, but also about managing available resources efficiently and reducing exposure to external risks.
Jordanian water diplomacy expert Maisoun Al-Zoubi, meanwhile, said global transformations in the water sector are highly relevant to Jordan, which has moved from treating water primarily as a scarcity issue to viewing it as part of a broader system encompassing economic and food security, energy, social stability and growing risks.
She said water “is no longer merely an environmental or service issue,” calling for greater resource-use efficiency and maximizing the economic and social value of every drop, alongside expanding non-conventional water sources, particularly seawater desalination and the National Water Carrier, increasing the reuse of treated wastewater and protecting groundwater.
Al-Zoubi said the National Water Carrier should be treated as a long-term strategic asset, with desalination and water transport linked to renewable energy to reduce operating costs.
On technology, she called for the use of smart networks and meters, artificial intelligence, satellites and remote sensing, as well as the development of a local innovation ecosystem involving universities and the private sector.
On financing, she stressed the importance of diversifying funding sources across government, development, climate and private financing, while linking funding to performance indicators. She also emphasized developing long-term regional and international partnerships and strengthening water diplomacy, given that Jordan’s challenges cannot be addressed in isolation from its regional surroundings.
Rising Water Conflicts
Former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation Eyad Al-Dahiyat stressed that global shifts in the water sector — from declining natural and groundwater reserves to rising water conflicts — require Jordan to move from managing scarcity to building an integrated and sustainable water security system based on diversifying resources and strengthening resilience.
He said this requires increasing the private sector’s role in financing and investment, integrating technology and innovation across the sector’s operations, and developing the institutional, legal and regulatory environment to accelerate project implementation and improve management efficiency.
Among the key priorities, Al-Dahiyat said, should be making desalinated water a major pillar of Jordan’s water resources over the next decade, while developing the National Water Carrier as the foundation of an expandable system and a model for partnerships, financing and the localization of industries related to desalination and water transport.
He also stressed the importance of improving groundwater governance, allowing private investment in the exploration of untapped resources, using artificial intelligence to monitor water extraction and detect violations, and requiring sectors that rely on groundwater to adopt more efficient technologies.
Al-Dahiyat further called for strengthening the resilience of water networks against drought, climate change, breakdowns and cyber threats, while expanding regional and international cooperation. He highlighted Jordan’s accession to the Helsinki Convention on transboundary waters as an opportunity to support the management of shared water resources and strengthen water security.
Source: Al Ghad
