Season’s first depression channels 4mcm into dams

AMMAN — More than 4 million cubic metres (mcm) of rainwater entered the Kingdom’s dams between Sunday and Monday during the wet season’s first depression, according to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The 10 major dams now hold 115mcm of water, or 35.46 per cent of their total capacity of 325mcm, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said on Tuesday.

“The dams received over 1.1mcm of water during the past 24 hours,” a ministry statement quoted Nasser as saying.

Expressing hope for a good wet season, the minister noted that rainfall came early this year.

Since the start of the wet season in mid-October, the country received a total of 700mcm of rainwater, which constitutes 8.6 per cent of its long-term annual average of 8 billion cubic metres, he added.

“The early start of rain signals a good season, especially if it continues to rain across the country,” Nasser said.

Rain on Sunday and Monday constituted over 33 per cent of the total rainfall the country received since the start of the wet season, he noted, underscoring that figures from the ministry’s rain-detection stations show that the country received more than 213mcm of rain on these two days.

During this period last year, the dams held only 98.5mcm, or 30.27 per cent, of their total storage capacity, according to a ministry official.

Ajloun Governorate in the north received the highest amount of rainfall on Monday — 27.2 millimetres (mm), followed by Madaba Governorate (12.4mm) and Balqa Governorate (12.3mm), the official said.

The capital received 10.1mm of rain, with Shmeisani registering the highest amount, followed by the 8th Circle area, Wadi Al Seer, Jubeiha and Jabal Al Hussein, according to the official.