Strengthening Jordan’s Water Resilience

Water is critical in our daily lives. Yet, its availability and infrastructure often crumble under the pressure of crises, as happens in Jordan. What are some efforts made to improve Jordan’s water resilience?

Jordan’s Water Scarcity

Located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Its freshwater availability stood at 61 cubic meters per capita annually, far below the internationally recognized absolute water scarcity line rate of 500. Groundwater exploitation, surging population, and climate change have strained Jordan’s water resources.

The majority of Jordan’s water supply comes from groundwater (53%), while the rest comes from rivers (32%) and treated wastewater (15%). According to Dr. Armin Margane, a senior hydrogeologist working on Jordan’s water resilience projects, the overuse of groundwater in Jordan began in the 1980s for agricultural purposes. The use of groundwater surpassed its ability to recharge, resulting in a decline of over 5 m per year and a shrinking groundwater supply.

Meanwhile, Jordan has also experienced a surging population, from six millions to over 11 million in the past two decades. The influx of war refugees from neighboring countries significantly contributes to this increase. Additionally, climate change is causing droughts, erratic precipitation patterns, fluctuating temperatures, and rising water salinity, exacerbating water scarcity and the country’s vulnerable living conditions.

Strategy for Water Resilience

In 2023, Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation published the National Water Strategy 2023–2040 as a pathway to achieve water resilience and security. This framework has four pillars:

Reforming the water sector’s legal and institutional framework.
Restoring balance between water supply and demand.
Achieving financial sustainability for water sector operations.
Ensuring impartial and transparent regulation of water sector services and costs.

The strategy proposes several approaches to balance water supply and demand, such as securing new water sources through large-scale desalination and reforming irrigation by increasing reclaimed water use instead of freshwater for irrigation. Reducing water losses by preventing leakage and illegal use, improving irrigation system efficiency, and controlling over-abstraction of groundwater are also key objectives in this aspect.

At the same time, international organizations are implementing similar projects to improve Jordan’s water resilience. For instance, under the ‘‘Resilient Water Solutions against Climate Change in Jordan and Lebanon”, UN-Habitat seeks to alleviate the pressure on Jordan’s natural water sources by enhancing water access from unconventional sources like rainwater harvesting and greywater treatment.

Stronger Approach Against Crises

The world is continuously changing, and the change can be harsh without strong and resilient governance, systems, and infrastructure in place. As water scarcity affects public health, food security, and other fundamental aspects of society, strengthening water resilience becomes urgent. Jordan’s multifaceted strategy is hoped to tackle the issue at a systemic level, with the participation of the government, organizations, local communities, and other key stakeholders.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

Kresentia Madina

Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website | + posts

Madina is the Assistant Manager for Digital Publications at Green Network Asia. She graduated from Universitas Indonesia with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. She has three years of professional experience working on GNA international digital publications, programs, and partnerships particularly on social and cultural issues.