Jordan Times
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Experts focus on water
management, conflict resolution
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN - The Kingdom’s water situation is alarming, with the current annual water
per capita down to 150 cubic metres, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad
Shatnawi said on Monday.
The shortage requires the use of advanced technologies, he added.
Shatnawi made the remarks yesterday during a symposium on optimal water
management and conflict resolution, which brought together over 70 local and
international water experts.
The event, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan, focused on the Water
Allocation System (WAS), an advanced water management and sharing strategy used
in Europe and the US.
Panellists at the event, organised by the Higher Council for Science and
Technology, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Energy and Water Group at
London University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discussed means
to apply WAS in Jordan.
Stressing the need to draw up plans to address the Kingdom’s water shortage,
Shatnawi noted that the country shares most of its surface water with Syria, the
Palestinian territories and Israel while its underground water aquifers are
shared with Saudi Arabia and Syria.
“Any reduction in water supplies could result in some communities getting no
water, creating tensions. As scarcity increases, these tensions could give way
to conflicts,” the minister warned.
Jordan is one of the 10 poorest countries of the world in terms of water
resources. Dams and rainwater harvesting are some of the solutions for
addressing the shortage, which is only worsening in light of demographic
changes.
“Managing and securing water supplies is difficult because water is hard to
control, define, manage, negotiate and adjudicate,” Shatnawi said, adding that
priority in water allocation is given to domestic use, followed by industry,
then agriculture.
A main focus of WAS is fostering dialogue on water cooperation amongst policy
makers, experts and civil society representatives in the region, according to
Walid Turk, secretary general of the Higher Council for Science and Technology.
“Implementing WAS will help the country adopt strategies to deal with any
potential water resource conflict and make people realise that water is no
longer a common commodity, but one in shortage,” Turk told The Jordan Times.
Once implemented, the system will help policy makers adopt strategies to ensure
the sustainability and quality of water resources, according to Turk. He added
that Jordan will be the first country in the region to adopt this system, with
plans under way to share it with neighbouring states.