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.