The Jordan River Basin

"An integrated approach
to sustainable management"

People settled down in the Jordan River Basin thousands of years ago. The Jordan River Basin knew fluctuating periods of development and stagnation during its history. During the last century, the historical changes in the basin have been very rapid. In less than 50 years almost all the water resources have been controlled following a huge socio-economic development. The water crisis appeared in the mid-1990's and has forced the government to orientate its efforts to "demand management". Jordan has endured deficits in water resources since the early 1960's. The country is classified as water carce, compared with countries in the region categorized as water stressed (Cyprus, Egpyt) or water abundant (such as Lebanon and Syria).

History

Up until the 1960s, mountain springs and Side Wadis (short flash floods that occur after heavy rainfall) were the main water resources in Jordan. They were used by the population thanks to some hand made techniques (diversion weirs, earth ditches) and some limited irrigation was possible in the summer. In the semi-arid areas, hand made water harvesting techniques allowed men and animals to find water.

These techniques allowed the survival of a very limited population with nomadic habits. Farmers worked on both rainfed areas in the Highlands and on irrigated parcels with earth-made canals along the Side Wadis. The population was not able to control big rivers and the irrigation has not been fully developed.

Influx in Agriculture

The increase in irrigated agriculture resulting from the migration from the 1950’s undoubtedly increased the water usage throughout the basin. Jordan was forced to turn to other basin’s to facilitate water supply in order to sustain the livelihood of the migrant farmers. Jordan developed a policy of supply development in the mid 1990’s, which consisted of rapid construction of new damns, new canals, new wells and new water transfers. However, what this policy lacked was additional tangible water resources. This, in part is what caused Jordan’s water crisis.

Political Conflict

Major development in terms of water resources began to take place in the valley during the 1950's. After the Independence and the 1948 Israeli-Arabic war, Trans-Jordan annexed the West Bank and proposed the Jordan nationality to the Palestinian refugees. Jordan, supported by western countries, decided to follow a policy based on the stabilization and the integration of the Palestinian refugees.

adapted from Philippe 2003

Jordan has no control on the Tiberius Lake. Nevertheless, international law gives to Jordan a right on the water stored there, because it can be considered as the Jordan River's spring.

During the initial years, following the independence of Israel (1948-1955), the various basin states (Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt) were unable to reach agreement on any regional development or water apportionment plan. The country proposals were all domestically focused and therefore unacceptable regionally, for practical and political reasons. Acceptance of the international plans was problematic because they presented novel approaches to water sharing and apportionment, and because a regional cooperative approach would, by definition, require the Arab League's acceptance of Israel as a legitmate state and resource user.

The government decided to act in the agricultural sector by developing the hydraulic system in the Jordan Valley to transform it to a large irrigated area. This project had two main components: the construction of two canals in the Ghor (one on each bank of the Jordan River), and a land reform. The water was supposed to come from the Jordan River (via the Tiberius Lake), the Yarmuk River, and other small tributaries. The building of the East Ghor Canal began in 1958 and was completed in 1966. The canal on the West Bank has not been built.

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