AMMAN — Secretary-General of the
Jordan Valley Authority Manar
Mahasneh has said that the water levels stored in Jordan’s dams for drinking
purposes are still “very low,” while the quantities channeled for irrigation are almost comparable to the
quantities recorded last year.
اضافة اعلان
Mahasneh told
Jordan News that the
water reserves in Wihda and Mujib dams, which are used for drinking and
household usage are “very meager,” noting that
Mujib Dam has so far filled up
with 800,000 cubic meters; less than last year’s water levels, whereas Wihda
Dam has 14 million cubic meters, compared to 24 million cubic meters last year.
Mahasneh said that the “very feeble” storage
in the two dams is the biggest challenge, adding that other sources of potable
water are Mukheida wells in the north and Lake Tiberias which delivers water to Jordan under a deal with Israel.
Water expert Jawad Al-Bakri seconded
Mahasneh’s view that the good rainfall season this year has not fully helped
address the water shortage problem. He
explained that
Wihda Dam’s low storage is blamed on the fact that the Syrian
side has used up large quantities of water, while Mujib, in the south, also saw
high consumption in the last couple of years, and 80–90 percent of its water
evaporated.
Bakri said that Wihda Dam; a joint project
between Jordan and Syria, has 70% of its area on the Syrian side, and rain that
feeds it comes from both sides, adding that Wihda Dam has never filled up since
its construction due to the fact that
Syrians have built at least 24 water
storage facilities that feed from the dam with the aim of enhancing water
harvest across the northern border. “As
for Mujib, there are technical reasons, such as weak feeding resources that
make the dam inefficient.”
Bakri said that the
water deficit in Jordan
amounts to 400 million cubic meters and the only solution in the short term is
equitable distribution of water among users, as the authorities look into
long-term solutions such as water desalination.
He urged rational consumption of water for
irrigation through new technologies and raising water tariffs to align with
increased consumption.
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