Jordan's Water Shortage Produces Citizen Thieves

Warm showers, bottled water, and running washing machines are a few of the luxurious entities associated with our accessible water supply here in the United States.  Other places, such as Jordan, aren’t so lucky.  Called it’s “gravest environmental challenge,” Jordan suffers from having one of the lowest levels of water resources in the world (The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan). The problem is linked to Jordan’s geographical location combined with issues concerning the growing population, which is creating an imbalance in water supply and demand that has caused some Jordanian citizens to resort to water theft.

Jordan is considered to be mostly desert and lacks an efficient
amount of rainfall, adding to the woes of its water
shortage. Photo: mapcruzin.com

According to an article in Jordan Business Magazine, about 92% of Jordan is considered to be desert, meaning that there is already a lack of water to go around. Ironically, one of the country’s main sources of water is rainfall, and it is reported that the desert areas of Jordan receive less than 200 millimeters of rainfall annually.  In attempt to circulate water throughout its region, Jordan does contain a system of underground water pipes, though it continues to fail to meet the needs of Jordanian citizens because of its weak structure. “According to leading experts in the field, Jordan’s water networks are quickly aging and leaking, with sources at the ministry of water claiming it would require at least $1.2 billion to revamp the Kingdom’s entire network.” The pipes have also been known for carrying water-borne illnesses that arise because of the continuous pumping. “When water is pumped through the leaking network, a large volume of water returns to the network after pumping has stopped, bringing with it bacteria and other sources of disease," said Salameh Hiari, a water expert at the University of Jordan. An IRIN news article quoted a Jordanian van driver on the water quality. “We don’t know what we are drinking, but for sure it is not pure water.” Jordanian citizens are being forced to consume harmful water because there is no alternative. The reality is frightening: the country depends on limited amounts of rain and contaminated pipes to supply at least 5.6 million people.

On top of leaky, illness-bearing pipes, Jordan is required to share the water it receives from the Jordan River with Israel. One of the articles in the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty, signed in 1994, states that each country is to be allocated a certain amount of water. “According to the historic agreement, Jordan gets around 35 million cubic meters, which is equivalent to 3 percent of the total amount of streaming water. Israel gets the other 97 percent” (IRIN news). Officials from both countries measure the ratio of water for one Israeli to be equal to that of five Jordanians. An article written by an Israeli news source, though, references Middle East professor, Moshe Sharon, as putting part of the blame on Syria. “Sharon pointed to the dozens of dams built on the Yarmouk River and its tributaries by Israel's northern neighbor, which blocked the natural flow of water to the Jordan. In the past, he noted, the Syrians have attempted to block the upper Jordan altogether, as well as find ways to pump water from Lake Kinneret, which feeds the Jordan.” Despite accusations, there is no clear answer on who is to blame. And putting a finger on who exactly is to blame shouldn’t even be a considerable debate when lives are potentially in danger.

The lack of water in Jordan is consequently due to its
geographical location as well as the rapidly increasing
population. Photo: Maria Font de Matas/IRIN

Maria Font de Matas/IRIN

Along with the geographical effects on Jordan’s water supply are the effects of a rapidly expanding population. Jordan’s population increase is due to a rise in natural birth rates combined with a low infant mortality rate, since Jordan is one of the wealthier middle-eastern countries. Maybe more importantly is the extreme influx of refugees from poorer surrounding countries. According to IRIN news, “there are more than 600,000 Iraqi refugees, nearly 250,000 Egyptian workers and hundreds of thousands of other Arab nationals - including Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese” flooding Jordanian land. These refugees have put a strain on the already diminishing water supply, reducing the amount of water that is available for each individual person. Simply interpreted, "less water means a deterioration of living standards and health," said Ali Abdul-Rahman, a doctor from Al Bashir Hospital in Jordan. So how are Jordanian citizens supposed to deal with this crisis?

Many Jordanians have found an answer in water theft.  “Water theft is a growing practice in Jordan, where thieves siphon off thousands of liters of government water each year to irrigate their farmlands and greenhouses” (Eco periodicals). Forty-two percent of water is lost every year, and the majority of it is attributed to theft. Citizens have been caught tampering with water meters, illegally pumping from systems to irrigate crops and storing water in backyard swimming pools. The Jordan Times covered one instance of water theft that was considered to be “outrageous.” A main street was dug up to access the waterline. "The violator extended a two-inch diameter pipe to our pipeline and then repaved the street with asphalt. He used the water to irrigate 40 greenhouses, supply his villa with water and fill up a 100-cubic-metre swimming pool." The increasing instances of water theft is an explanation for the desperation and extreme measures that citizens are being forced to go to in order to obtain the amount of water necessary to live, whether that be physically or economically. The Jordanian government has recently been recording an average of 700 violations monthly in the city of Amman.

City streets are commonly dug up as a part of water theft. Water
pipes underneath the road are siphoned, illegally collecting
water that is sold or used for irrigation.
Photo: Jordan's Water Company, Miyahuna.

The reason that this water theft has become so common is because water consumption is difficult to monitor. Rural areas take a beating when it comes to water theft because farmers drill water wells and don’t record the exact amounts of water being used. Punishments for the crime are not as harsh as some citizens would like, and certainly, there is going to be no stop to this problem if the government doesn’t step in and make the consequences more serious. Water is vital for life as well as making a living, and there should be a great amount of pride taken in protecting it, especially in an area as arid as Jordan. A campaign launched by Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation is acting as the government’s current attempt to slow the occurrence of water theft.  Punishments, such as jail time and fines, according to the new penal code will be enforced. Until the government can maintain a grasp on the situation, Jordan will continue to be water deprived, which could potentially harm the health of its citizens as well as its economic status. 

The World's Reaction to Osama bin Laden's Death

Osama bin Laden was killed by a US force
10 years after the terrorist attacks of
September 11th. Photo Credit: AP

The death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was received positively here in the United States as many rejoiced with the breaking of the news. Reactions of those in other countries around the world, though, showed a mixture of celebration and a sense of carelessness and even criticism. Along with the mixed reactions, countries differed in the way that the event was covered.  Several countries lacked their own coverage of bin Laden’s death while others had a loud, local opinion. The variation in the reactions and coverage of bin Laden’s death, it seems, most likely has to do with the type of standing relationship between the country and the terrorist group, al Qaeda.

The night turned into a celebration for Americans moments after President Obama announced the news. Crowds gathered outside of the White House as well as at Ground Zero to express their excitement. Baseball fans turned all attention away from the game and towards their Internet-connected phones all while chants of “USA, USA, USA” rung out.  “The news touched off an extraordinary outpouring of emotion,” a New York Times article said. The overwhelming majority of American news channels streamed information on the subject for hours and continued to do so for days following the killing. Never-ending new details emerged about the helicopter used in the raid, the place where bin Laden was shot, and speculations became popular, flooding the airwaves. The American media certainly took pride in this event, covering its details down to the bone and portraying Americans’ nationalism in a majority of its stories. But amidst the excitement, U.S. officials recognized that the killing of bin Laden doesn’t mean the end of al Qaeda, or even terrorism, which took a shot at the glorification of the event. Needless to say, Americans consider this an important event in history.

Americans celebrated the news of bin Laden's death at ground zero with
chants of "USA, USA." Patriotism was seen all over the country moments
after President Obama made the announcement.
Photo Credit: AP

In contrast to the media frenzy that occurred in America, North Korea offered close to nothing on the subject. This most likely has something to do with the extreme direct state control and censorship over the media. This concept is foreign to a lot of people, especially Americans, and almost impossible to imagine how the killing of one of the world’s largest terrorists doesn’t even have a sliver of significance. One of the only articles even related to the killing was published in the online newspaper The Asia Times. “Americans hunt down a terrorist for a crime done as far back as 10 years ago...We should learn the American way of implementing justice,” the article mentions. It goes on to defend America in the killing of bin Laden and says the U.S has understandable reason for not doing the same to North Korea’s “headache,” leader, Kim Jong-il. It’s difficult, though, to gather the true feelings of North Korea on the subject from just one opinion piece.

In Jordan, there was cause for celebration upon hearing the news, yet nothing like the celebration in the United States. An article published in the Jordan Times called the death of bin Laden a “sigh of relief” for Jordanians. The article put into perspective the reasons for the Jordanian jubilation, reminding the public of the attacks that bin Laden had ordered against them in past years. It calls attention to the fact that the death should be considered doubled in significance in Jordan because the country was among the first to feel the effects of bin Laden’s extremism. Also recognized is the ideology that Muslims are more likely to be suspected as terrorists in European countries and America because of the legacy that bin Laden has left behind. Bin Laden was blamed for this in the article. Jordanian press concerning the topic seemed in favor of the actions taken by the United States, and even had the same outlook on what the future of terrorism would hold. At the same time, though, articles called into question the U.S ‘s perceived “hostility” towards Muslim rights and interests.

An opinion article from a Thai source, The Bangkok Post, showed strong support for the killing as well, calling bin Laden’s reign “a legacy of shame” as he “dragged down” the religion of Islam to a “huge and tragic casualty.”  The article even referred to members of al Qaeda as bin Laden’s “evil associates.” A sense of praise for the American unit that killed bin Laden was exhibited from this article as it names the team as an “elite” force that succeeded in a “singular achievement in the long fight against terrorism.” Again, as recognized by many, this Thai source mentioned that this event does not lead to an end of terrorism, but it is a “major advance in bringing terrorists to heel, and then to book.”   

The Tehran Times, a news source from Iran, published an article that had a somewhat hostile tone to it, which can even be seen in its title, “Bin Laden is dead, leave Afghanistan now.” The article first talked about the war on terrorism rather than the actual death of bin Laden. Reporting that there are “still many unanswered questions about the direction of the so-called war on terrorism,” it seems as though the author of this article has little support for Americans being on Afghanistan soil. Quotes from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman were included in the article, which also displayed a sense of disapproval for the war. He was quoted as saying, “This event [the killing of bin Laden] clearly shows that there was no need to launch a massive military campaign to deal with a single person.”  This article then continued on to give details about the announcement and confirmation of bin Laden’s death, but in no way, praised the United States on a job well done like many other sources did.

The death of Osama bin Laden leaves many questioning what that means
for the war on terrorism. Is this the end?
Photo Credit: Corporal Jamie Osborne

In Afghanistan, an article posted in The Daily Outlook took an approach to the story that managed to cover sympathies for the situation. Quotes from the Taliban were included, saying “deep condolences” are sent out to the family of bin Laden on “this occasion of the great tragedy.” The main point of the article was to state that bin Laden was not running this terrorist organization alone and that “there are far more evil leaders for his succession.” The U.S was quoted as saying that the death is a “game-changer” in Afghanistan, but the author of this article begs to differ. The article ends by saying, “Osama's death is a blow to Al-Qaeda for organizational reasons, but it won't affect their operations, and [it’s] certainly not a game-changer in Afghanistan.”

The Independent Online, a news source from South Africa, also lacked a celebratory response to the death. Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman Clayson Monyela said, “Peace cannot be achieved though violence anywhere in the world. We find no joy in any death, even of people who call themselves terrorists.” The article continued on to harshly criticized the U.S., noting the “brutality” exerted through the war on terrorism.  “Our view is that all these things seek to prove to the entire world the brutality of the US. They claim to be the champion of peace and democracy but they are nothing but invaders and their anti-terrorism campaign is the greatest cover-up of their own terrorism…”

Needless to say, the reaction in South Africa was anti-American.

            Throughout worldwide news sources, there is a combination of both support as well as criticisms concerning the death of Osama bin Laden.  Not all countries were as joyous as the United States, yet not all were silent about the situation. It seems that there is a common understanding in the death, though; the understanding that bin Laden’s death is not the end of terrorism.

Daily Life in Jordan

This video shows aspects of daily life in Amman, Jordan from the perspective of a tourist.

Amman, Jordan

Website/Twitter of the Week 5/16

News Site: The Star  

The Star is a newspaper published in Amman, Jordan once a week (every Thursday). It is one of two English newspapers in the country. It is owned by Jordan Press and Publishing Co. The paper covers issues ranging from international news to news about art, but seems a bit dense in the number of stories it provides. It is different in appearance from what we’re used to in the United States because the site’s front page consists more photos than print. Each photo is accompanied by a brief headline that the reader can click on for the story. 

Here is a link to the page within The Star website called “Quotes in the News”  This page interested me because it is just a list of quotes from different news pieces. The quotes aren't given with any context; the only information given is an attribution to the quote.

   

Twitter Site: Foreign Ministry 

This Twitter site represents the Foreign Ministry of Jordan. It is run from the city of Amman by members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Twitter itself is mostly written in Arabic, so unfortunately it’s hard to get a grip on exactly what is being talked about. The Twitter, though, links to news articles from the site petra.gov.jo, which is just a government run new and information site for the country. The site can be translated into English if you search for it through Google. 

Example tweet: Government follows up on developments in Egypt

Jordan's coverage of the death of Osama bin Laden

Here in the United States, media coverage concerning the death of Osama bin Laden can be found on just about every news channel and all over the Internet. Other countries, though, such as Jordan, seemed to lack the plethora of coverage of the event. Some of the news stories in the Jordan media were taken from other countries' services, yet I was able to find a few from Jordanian sources. Some of these sources were difficult to completely understand because of the Google translation from Arabic to English. Here are some articles I found on the topic:

World on alert after US kills Ben Laden  -Published in the Jordan Times (Reuters)

To preempt militants' recruiting plans -Published in the Jordan Times

Amman bombings leave few mourners of Ben Laden -Published in the Jordan Times

Charges of war between Islamabad and Washington against the backdrop of killing bin Laden -Published in Al Rai (daily political newspaper in Jordan)

American knowledge of Jordan

With today’s technology, news is everywhere, and Americans certainly like to make use of it. But, despite how much knowledge we think we have about current issues, we really don’t realize how much news we are actually missing out on. Being an American citizen, I personally find it somewhat difficult to find coverage of foreign news in American media. Because of this lack of coverage, most Americans probably find themselves uneducated or even clueless about events outside of the United States.

To support this, I asked a variety of people a few questions about the country of Jordan. The following questions were asked:

1)   What continent is Jordan located in?

2)   What is the capital of Jordan?

3)   Can you name any historical event that has happened in or involved Jordan?

4)   What do you think of when you hear the word “Jordan?”

Five out of seven of the people I interviewed correctly answered the first question with Asia. The two that answered incorrectly thought Jordan was located in Africa. When I asked one person why she thought this, she said, “it just sounded right.” I considered this to be a good start to the interviews, but perhaps the majority knew the correct answer thanks to that required geography class in high school. Or maybe it has something to do with Jordan being located next to Iraq and Israel, two countries that have been frequently talked about in American news.

Do Americans really know where Jordan is located? Or are we familiar with its location because it sits just west of Iraq, the country that frequently headlines American news?
Photo source: http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2009-09-17-602/Western-Asia-Political-Map-2000.html 

Only one of my interviewees knew the correct answer to the second question. This was impressive, in my opinion, considering I don’t think I can even name all of the state capitals in my own country. I did receive the creative, and somewhat sarcastic, answer of “Jordania” from one person I talked to. Other than that, the common response was “I don’t know.”

The responses I received for the third and fourth questions were quite interesting as I saw a similarity in what different people said in regards to both questions.  I noticed a number of people answering the last two questions with religious references. Although four people said they couldn’t name any events involving Jordan, one mentioned the baptizing of Jesus, which she said occurred in the river of Jordan. Yet, another listed the Crusades, World War 1 and the Israeli Palestinian conflicts known as Black September.

The fourth question also included a few biblical and religious connections. One person replied with, “When I think of Jordan, I think of kings, the Holy Land, and centuries of bloodshed.” This person, though, openly confessed to being a historian, which may be why he had the answers to every question I asked. Another said she thought of the Bible when she heard the word Jordan. Could this pattern of religious references be because of the religious traditions that Americans practice? I asked the people with these religious responses if they practice religion or have a religious background, and they all told me yes.

One of my other interviewees, surprisingly, admitted to not even thinking about the country of Jordan when I asked him the fourth question. He, instead, thought about basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Although I did sense the sarcasm, I think that he had a good point. If I asked the fourth question out of context of this interview, I think a lot of Americans wouldn’t think about the country of Jordan.

From this brief survey of seven people, I was able to make a few connections and predictions. Even though I was able to get answers out of some people, I felt that they were almost unsure of themselves when talking to me. Three of the interviewees seemed to respond in a questioning tone, and one even said, “I think” after one of her responses. Also, the answers that were given to me seemed to come from knowledge that had nothing to do with media, but rather had to do with religious experience. There is certainly room for improvement when it comes to Americans’ knowledge of foreign news.

Jordan's religious sites seem to play a role in the amount of knowledge that Americans have towards the country. For example, Jesus was said to have been baptized in Jordan.
Photo Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23620510/ns/travel-destination_travel/    

Interview participants:

1)   Kevin Heinemann- Cal Poly sophomore, biological science major

2)   Sue Bakalar- my mom, 47

3)   Dani Bakalar- my sister, 18

4)   Karen Steen- Cal Poly sophomore, environmental engineering major

5)   Brian John- law student, 27

6)   Shire Beach- Stanford sophomore

7)   Andrew Engdahl- Cal Poly junior, business major

Family in Jordan

Every county has varying concepts of what “family” is.  Factors such as politics and religion have an influence on a particular country’s definition of the word. The country of Jordan is no exception to this influence.

Jordan’s political system is defined as a “constitutional monarchy” in which the King signs and carries out all laws as well as exercises authority over the armed forces. It is a hereditary system where a son takes rule after the passing of his father. The King is assisted by the Council of Ministers (his main partner being the Prime Minister), and legislative power is given to a bicameral parliament. There is also a separate judicial branch that is divided into three categories: civil, religious and special.  There are 12 areas of which Jordan is divided, each with its own governor appointed by the King. Within this government system, according to the US Department of State, local governments are under a quota to reserve 20% of the political seats for women. Though the Jordanian government has been working its way to a democracy since 1989 through several reforms guided by the late King Hussein, this is the first instance in which I realized that women, it seems, don’t naturally have complete equality in Jordan. In my opinion, if women had an equal chance of being elected to governmental positions, Jordan wouldn’t need to have a set quota to reserve seats for women. Also, all rulers thus far in Jordan (as in several countries including the United States) have been men, enforcing the idea that men are the main source of control. This may or may not be a connection to how the concept of family is perceived in Jordan.  

King Abdullah II is currently the King of Jordan. He took over after the passing of his father, King Hussein. Jordan operates under a system of government known as a constitutional monarchy determined by heredity.  

To go a bit more in depth on this idea of the man being in control, the site Every Culture points out some of the gender roles that are commonly seen in Jordan. The sites says, “sons are prized, and this status continues throughout adulthood.” From what I have read it seems as though most components of a woman’s life are directed by their close male relatives. The bride’s father arranges most marriages, and it is common for the bride and groom to barely know each other before the marriage ceremony. After a couple is officially married, the husband takes the control in the relationship. Divorce is apparently legal, but rates remain low due to the fact that the husband will automatically receive custody of the children.

It appears that women are often neglected in the Jordanian culture. An article that ran in the Jordan Times reported a circumstance in which a mother left her family in order to escape domestic violence. By leaving, the woman lost connection to her daughters and ended up living in a shelter. Other articles posted in the media have recognized the problems of violence that occur in Jordanian relationships. Could this be due to the ideas represented in a monarchy? 

Jordanian women often have important aspects of their lives, such as marriage, controlled by the men they're closest to.