AMMAN — The expectation is that Jordan's per capita share of
renewable water resources will decrease from 61 cubic meters to 35 cubic meters
by the year 2040 if current
water quantities remain unchanged. This stands in
contrast to the global average of absolute
water scarcity, which is 500 cubic
meters per person annually.
اضافة اعلان
The National Water Strategy, launched by the
Ministry of Water and Irrigation for the years 2023-2040 in March, attributes
this decline to "the increasing population concurrent with a
decrease in available water quantities from current sources," despite the
"significant expected increase in treated water quantities,” Amman Net
reported.
Jordan's per capita share is notably less
than the global average of 500 cubic meters per person per year, whereas the
average per capita water share in the
Middle East and North Africa in 2019 was
approximately 800 cubic meters, as stated in the strategy.
A substantial challenge in bridging the wide
gap
Jordan, recognized as one of the world's most
water-scarce countries, faces a substantial challenge in bridging the wide gap
between
water demand and available sources. This is primarily due to
population growth and the recurring influx of refugees stemming from instability in
neighboring countries, as outlined in the strategy.
Furthermore,
economic development activities
and expansion in agricultural areas contribute significantly to the increased
demand for water to meet developmental needs.
2021 water quantity sources
In 2021, the total available water quantities
from all sources reached approximately 1.093 billion cubic meters. This
includes groundwater, surface water, treated wastewater, and desalinated water.
Of these, around 680 million cubic meters came from
renewable fresh water sources, resulting in a per capita share of about 61 cubic meters for all uses
in 2021.
Treated water quantities amounted to roughly
167 million cubic meters, and desalinated water from the sea was less than one
million cubic meters for the year. This classification places Jordan among the
world's most water-scarce nations, except when considering treated water and
desalinated seawater, as indicated in the strategy.
Half of Jordan’s annual water budget
The strategy also cautions against the
"continual decline" in groundwater, which contributes to over half of
Jordan's annual water budget.
Total groundwater supplies reached around 619
million cubic meters in 2021, with approximately 450 million cubic meters drawn
from renewable groundwater layers and about 169 million cubic meters annually
from non-renewable resources, such as the Disi Basin and the Jafr region.
To maintain stable and
sustainable water levels in aquifers, the strategy emphasizes the importance of respecting a safe
pumping limit for renewable groundwater, estimated at about 280 million cubic
meters annually.
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