AMMAN, May 31 (NNN-PETRA) – Mohammad Abu Osama, a resident of Marj Al Hamam, in Jordan’s capital Amman, recently experienced more frequent disruption of water supply for his house than ever.
“From mid-Apr, we started to witness more cuts in water supply. We got water twice a week a few years ago, but now only every two weeks,” he said.
As one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, Jordan usually supplies water for its urban citizens once a week. On top of the buildings lie conspicuous water tanks, where water is distributed among the residents until the next time of supply.
However, the current severe droughts have exacerbated the water shortage in Jordan, to the extent that renewable water supply can now only meet about half of the regular demands in the kingdom.
According to the spokesman of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Omar Salameh, the recent rainy season in Jordan, which ran from last Oct to the end of Apr, recorded less than 60 percent of the average annual precipitation.
“This is a critical summer for the water sector, as the rate of precipitation was low, overlapped with the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and presence of a large number of refugees,” he said.
Hana Namrouqa, a water expert in Jordan, said, there was about a 10-percent increase in water consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, partly because of the home quarantine.
“The water deficit may reach about 15 million cubic metres this summer,” Salameh warned, urging “responsible water consumption and preservation” for the challenging summer season.
According to figures by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan has a water loss rate of 48 percent and the rate reaches 60 percent in some areas.
Over-pumping, mainly relying on surface water and outdated water networks combine, to aggravate the current water supply crisis facing Jordan, Namrouqa explained.
“The solution is more awareness, less consumption and working on new projects, such as desalination of the Red Sea water,” she noted.– NNN-PETRA
