Public urged to ration water as storage in dams stands at 15%

AMMAN — Jordan’s 14 major dams hold only 15 per cent of their capacity of 280 million cubic metres, an official at the Water Ministry said on Saturday.

The public should ration water use due to the low levels of water in dams, the official who preferred anonymity told The Jordan Times.

“We have to save each drop of water for a good purpose,” he said.

“We did our best for citizens to meet their needs and there were no problems in the last period,” the official said. 

He also pointed to the ministry’s future strategy, which includes finding new sources of water and addressing water loss.

“We have the National Water Carrier project. We hope that it will provide sustainable solutions for many years to come,” the official said.

Since 2013 to date, a total of 593 water theft cases have been referred to court. Authorities also impose hefty fines on perpetrators of water theft, he added.

Demand for water in Jordan rises by 8 per cent every year, the official noted.

According to previous figures issued by the Water Ministry, Jordan’s per capita share of water currently stands at 90 cubic metres per year, which is only 10 per cent of the water poverty line and 97.5 per cent lower when compared with Jordan’s per capita water share of 3,600 m3/year in 1946.

Non-revenue water also remains a major challenge as the percentage of lost water stands high at 50 per cent, according to the ministry.