Water storage at Jordan’s major dams is 24.8% lower than during the same period last year, a senior government official told the Jordan Times on Tuesday (January 2nd), urging the public to ration water consumption.
The current wet season is noticeably weaker compared to previous years, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem el-Nasser said.
El-Nasser expressed hope that the kingdom would see stronger depressions that would bring adequate rain this season, noting that water storage at the country’s dams last year was higher by 80 million cubic metres (mcm).
"The dams now hold 62.7mcm or 18.8% of their total capacity of 333mcm. During this period last year, the dams stored 141.7mcm or 43.6%," he said.
The ministry’s figures showed that rainfall since the start of the wet season in October only achieved 16.4% of the country’s long-term annual average of eight billion cubic metres. Data shows precipitation during this period last year totaled 45.6% of the long-term annual average.
"In light of the current discouraging performance of the rainy season, the ministry calls on people to act responsibly and co-operate by reducing their consumption of water and also apply domestic rain harvesting techniques," said ministry spokesman Omar Salameh.
Jordan invested more than $1 billion in the water sector in 2017 in projects to improve and increase water supply, link more households to the sewage network and expand the sector’s reliance on renewable energy, el-Nasser said.
Salameh said that by the start of 2017, a total of 12 major dams were storing rainwater in different parts of the country with the capacity of 333mcm, noting that new dams in Karak and Kufranja started storing water last year.
The ministry is working to implement and secure funding for eight new dams.
El-Nasser said Jordan ranks highly internationally in terms of water harvesting and storage, with 12 major dams, more than 165 ponds and 25 sand dams.
