Amman - The weather system that affected the Kingdom from 6 to 8 November has brought water security back into focus. Rain fell over wide areas of the north and centre of the Kingdom, along with parts of the eastern and south-western regions. Accompanying flash floods and pools of water have raised anticipation over how far the rainfall will feed into dam reserves and recharge groundwater.
اضافة اعلان
According to the Meteorological Department, temperatures dropped during the weather event, with rainfall at times, heavy for short periods in some northern and central areas, sometimes accompanied by thunder and hail. Chances of rain continued on Sunday in parts of the north and centre of the Kingdom.
Although the rainfall is important for supporting water resources, the final amount of water reaching the dams cannot be determined from rainfall volumes alone, according to water expert Draid Mahasneh. He stressed that the volume and geographic distribution of rainfall depend on the nature of the catchments feeding the dams, the soil's capacity to absorb water, and the amount of surface runoff reaching the wadi channels.
He explained that heavy rainfall can produce large volumes of surface runoff, which highlights the importance of developing ways to make use of this water rather than losing it to the Dead Sea or to waterways. He stressed the need to strengthen the infrastructure for rainwater harvesting and stormwater management. Rainfall also helps increase the recharge of underground aquifers and raise their levels, which has a positive effect on water availability and eases pressure on depleted sources.
For its part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Omar Salameh, said the flow of wadis and floods may take between 24 and 48 hours to reach the dams. This means that measuring the water impact of the weather system does not end when the rain stops, but continues over the following period, depending on the nature of the catchments and waterways.
Salameh said the importance of this rainfall stands out given the limited water resources in Jordan. The effects of rain extend beyond increasing surface storage, to supporting rain-fed agriculture, improving soil moisture, and recharging some springs and aquifers. This is on condition that the rain is spread out enough to allow infiltration and recharge, rather than concentrated in short periods that cause floods and erosion.
Professor of water and environmental engineering at the German Jordanian University, Dr Monjed Al-Sharif, believes that making better use of the rainy seasons requires expanding the construction of cisterns and earth dams, maintaining rainwater harvesting facilities, protecting wadi channels from encroachment and waste, and developing monitoring and measurement systems. These would make it possible to estimate the volumes of water flowing and direct them to usable purposes.
He noted the importance of rainfall in improving the water situation, and the need for more efficient management of surface runoff. The actual results of the weather system will depend on the final figures announced by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Jordan Valley Authority on the amounts of water entering the dams, and the change in total storage after runoff reaches the catchments.
