For those of us living in Ithaca it is hard to conceive of a future when water could run out. But water scarcity impacts every aspect of Jordanian life. Below is an excellent (and short) BBC video on this issue.
It seems like water is a common theme in my travels lately. Jordan is actually the third poorest country on earth in terms of water resources. Jordan is confronting its worst drought in decades and the situation is only expected to worsen with climate change. Most of the country receives less than 100 mm of rainfall per year (Ithaca gets 2500 mm of precipitation). The rate of water extraction from the Azraq Aquifer in northeastern Jordan, the primary source of water for Amman, is approximately double the sustainable amount per year, and Jordan is expected to "run out" of water within the next 10 years.
The water situation is exacerbated by the burgeoning refugee population. Basically, the total population is increasing while water resources are rapidly diminishing. On Fridays in Amman, huge government water trucks fill the tanks seen on every rooftop in the capital. This is the main source of water for families for the week to come until the trucks return again.
One possible solution is the Red Sea Dead Sea Canal project. The idea is to pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and along the way desalinate some of the water for drinking purposes. What's left, which would be saltier, would go to he Dead Sea which is currently sinking by a meter per year. However the project is fraught with major obstacles: huge expense, environmental concerns and a large carbon footprint (it takes a lot of energy to desalinate water). In addition Jordan needs to negotiate the plan with Israel which also has a boundary on these two seas. Access to water is becoming an achilles heel for Jordan as it tries to thread a political needle with its warring neighbors.
For those of us living in Ithaca it is hard to conceive of a future when water could run out. But water scarcity impacts every aspect of Jordanian life. Below is an excellent (and short) BBC video on this issue.
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