By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - As the Kingdom prepares to enter a challenging year with a record shortage of rainfall, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation is scrambling to find ways to manage the country’s water needs.

The ministry has so far avoided declaring the current conditions as a “drought”, stressing that as the winter season has not yet passed, it is too early to make predictions.

Initial indicators, however, have not been promising, according to officials.

“The ministry’s plans must effectively maintain a constant supply of water to citizens and farmers, and this will definitely be a challenge,” a water official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Jordan Times on Saturday, adding that this winter has been “the driest in many years.”

Wells, desalination

to address shortage

Several plans, most of them currently under way, were designed to address the expected water shortage this summer, according to the water official.

“The ministry is digging 30 wells to generate 15 million cubic metres (mcm) of water in different parts of the country, in addition to wells in the Ghor area expected to yield 10mcm,” the official said.

A project is also under way to extend a pipeline from the King Talal Dam to the northern and central Ghor for crop irrigation, he said, adding that the Jordan Valley Authority will ban summer crops that are water-intensive.

In addition, the ministry will desalinate water extracted from saline wells in Jerash, producing 270 cubic metres per hour, according to the official.

The official said the Kingdom’s dams currently hold 59mcm out of their total capacity of 327mcm, much less than the minimum of 100mcm required during this time of year, with almost 15mcm of the stored water saline.

Jordan has so far received only 10 per cent of its long-term annual average rainfall of 8.5 billion cubic metres, while by the end of last winter it had received over 43 per cent due mostly to heavy precipitation and unexpected snowfall.

Disappointing wet season

Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) Director General Abdul Halim Abu Hazim said rainfall so far has been less than predicted.

He described this year’s wet season as “not good”, noting that marbainiyeh, the coldest 40 days of winter during which the Kingdom usually receives 25 to 35 per cent of its annual rainfall, ended yesterday without bringing sufficient precipitation.

“This is the driest winter Jordan has experienced since 1995. The season is not yet over and there is a chance for rainfall in the coming two months,” Abu Hazim told The Jordan Times yesterday.

This year’s lack of precipitation is partially due to climate change, which delayed the winter season, brought warmer temperatures and reduced precipitation, the meteorologist said.

Experts believe climate change has caused a 30 per cent reduction in the country's surface water resources, as well as a decrease in the volume of rainfall and agricultural production, both of which the country and the Arab world heavily rely on.

Constant depressions centred over Europe have also contributed to the shortage of rainfall, affecting the eastern Mediterranean region, Abu Hazim was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying yesterday.

He added that the country’s northern region has received 28 per cent of its annual average of rain, while the central and southern areas have been harder hit, receiving 21 per cent and 10-12 per cent respectively.

Crops, forests in jeopardy

Meanwhile, agriculture officials remain hopeful that struggling crops will be revived by rainfall in the next two months, during which the Kingdom receives a major share of its annual rainfall.

“Field crops and grains planted in the northern and the central regions of the country need rainfall, but the situation in the south is not encouraging," Agriculture Ministry Assistant Secretary General for Agricultural Produce Adnan Abdul Nour told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The country’s 0.9 per cent green cover, which is dependent on rainfall, is also at stake due to the persisting drought-like conditions, according to conservationists.

Major Mohammad Otoum, head of the Nature and Environment Protection of the Northern Governorates at the Royal Department for the Preservation of Nature, said many trees are drying and turning yellow due to the lack of precipitation.

Efforts to combat desertification and increase the Kingdom's green cover are also hampered by the lack of rainfall for the second consecutive year, threatening the survival of newly planted trees, he added.