AMMAN - The Kingdom's underground aquifers hold 75 million cubic metres (mcm) of saline water which can be desalinated and used for drinking purposes, according to a recently issued official report.
The first ever report on the Kingdom's environmental conditions, prepared by the Ministry of Environment, indicated that the area extending from the north of the Dead Sea and down to Deir Alla in Ghor stores millions of cubic metres of underground saline water, which can be used to reduce pressure on water sources.
To this end, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has presented a proposal to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation for the establishment of a desalination plant to treat underground saline water.
"The Planning Ministry is currently looking for donor organisations to fund the construction of a plant in the Husban area in the Ghor," Ministry of Water and Irrigation Secretary General Khaldoun Khashman told The Jordan Times on Saturday.
The project entails desalinating 30-40mcm of saline water annually from two areas in Ghor, Husban Valley and the area between Maadi and Deir Alla, Khashman said.
The water will be pumped to Amman for drinking purposes and part of the Zara-Maain Water Treatment and Conveyance Project's facilities will be used to convey the water to the capital, he added.
"With the increasing demand for water due to population growth, the desalinated water pumped to Amman will help alleviate pressure on water sources, thus improving water supply to other governorates," Khashman said.
More than 76 per cent of water for drinking purposes is secured from underground sources. Excessive pumping from various aquifers over the past 25 years has led water levels dropping by between 20 centimetres and 1.5 metres annually.
Also, inadequate rainfall last winter failed to replenish underground aquifers, dams, fountains and other sources, raising salinity percentages.
Khashman said the ministry will pump water from the aquifers within safe limits, to ensure the sustainability of the sources.
Water experts have previously warned that the Kingdom's underground water situation is alarming as both the quality and quantity of water in aquifers are declining, pinning blame on overpumping and meagre rainfall during the winter.
Precipitation registered last winter constituted only 57 per cent of the long-term annual average of 8.3 billion cubic metres.
There are around 12 renewable and non-renewable aquifers, such as Disi and Al Jafer, stretching over an area of 633-1,856 square kilometres.
According to the latest ministry figures, there are around 6,248 active wells in different parts of the country, 681 of which are unlicensed.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2008
