Water Security Needs What Ought to Be Done to Increase the Future Water Security as a Fundamental Base for Social, Economic and Political Stability—The Case of Jordan

Abstract

This study discusses the present water security situation in Jordan and delineates the required policies and programs to reach at a more robust and resilient water security situation. Although Jordan has achieved much in securing the different components of its water sector system, some components have still to be adequately addressed and others strengthened. Increasing the available water resources, which is practically only possible by desalinating sea water at Aqaba under sole Jordanian sovereignty, is found to be the most important and vital issue in improving the country’s water security situation. It improves the security issues of providing dearly needed additional water, releases the overexploited aquifers and saves them from depletion and quality deterioration, allows introducing new industries to Jordan, de-sharpens the conflict on the shared water resources with Jordan’s neighboring countries and is expected to render these conflicts to a problem of royalty on water resources and not as it is at present a social, economic, human, environmental and political conflict. Desalination will also make Jordan more resilient to climate change. Infrastructure security must be strengthened in Jordan both against natural hazards and against intended sabotage and damage. Water quality protection from pollution and deterioration has still to be adequately addressed requiring strengthening of laws and regulations and their application. The already delineated surface and groundwater protection zones have to be strictly adhered when licensing human activities in addition to implementing cybersecurity best practices. In addition, technology-dependent management tools have to be strongly advanced using integrated water resources management to ensure sustainable resource management, detection and repair of physical water losses and illegal water tapings, pricing water at its opportunity cost, irrigation modernization, strict environmental impacts assessment and application wherever water resources and water infrastructures are involved, and strengthening of training and management programs.