The role of desalination in bridging the water gap in Jordan

Abstract

The water resources of Jordan have always been scarce. The demand for water in the country exceeds the available resources and the gap between the water supply and demand is continuously increasing. Furthermore, the quality of water resources has dramatically deteriorated in recent years, which prevented the utilization of some resources. To secure the economic sustainability of the country, it is important at this stage to consider non-conventional water resources, such as sea and brackish water desalination. This study examines the water resources of Jordan, projected water demand, and the gap between the demand and supply based on two scenarios. The possibility of closing this gap by water desalination was investigated. Both sea and brackish water desalination were considered. The analysis revealed that seawater desalination process is economically infeasible for domestic water uses at this stage. This is attributed to that Jordan is not an oil producing country and the location of sea shoreline in Aqaba is on the Red Sea, away from the consumption centers. However, seawater desalination may be a viable option for tourist and industrial enterprises that will be established as a result of the new Law of Aqaba Free Zone. The most convenient and realistic option for Jordan in the short term, is the desalination of brackish water by reverse osmosis (RO). The brackish water with total dissolved solids between 2000–10000 mg/l is available from many aquifers and springs of the country. The study concluded that Jordan is facing a severe water crisis. Until recently, the water planners have not given the water desalination the required attention as a potential source of water supply. Taking into account the progress that is being achieved in the field of desalination technology, Jordan has to consider the desalination option more seriously and to start building a national capacity in the field of water desalination. It was emphasized that desalination is not a substitute to traditional water resources, it is rather a supplementary source that can contribute in bridging the water gap of the country.