Jordan gets additional water quota from Israel under US pressure

Jordan, which relies on Israel for water supplies, has received additional supplies from the Jewish state ahead of an expected severe drought, a development Israeli media reported was prompted by US pressure. "We have obtained from Israel an additional three million cubic metres" of water after several weeks of waiting, said Omar Salameh, spokesman for the Jordanian government's Ministry of Water and Irrigation. Salameh added that Jordan was entitled to "sufficient water supplies from Israel, in accordance with the peace agreement" reached between the two countries in 1994.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to delay granting this additional water quota as a retaliatory measure after Amman thwarted a major trip he was due to make to the United Arab Emirates in March ahead of legislative elections in Israel, according to Israeli media. Netanyahu had delayed a response to the Hashemite request for the 3 million cubic metres because of the recent atmosphere of crisis prevailing between the two countries.

In March, Hashemite Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah cancelled a planned visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after Israel refused to allow extra Jordanian security guards to accompany him.

Jordan then refused to approve Netanyahu's flight route over Jordan to the United Arab Emirates, a move that led to the cancellation of the trip which the Emirati state has yet to reschedule. Israel, in turn, briefly closed its airspace to Jordan.

This bitter atmosphere led to a delayed response to Jordan's water request. Nor was it approved during the crisis that briefly rocked the Hashemite Kingdom, with reports of a coup attempt by King Abdullah's half-brother, Prince Hamza.

The decision to meet Jordan's request was made under pressure from the US administration, Israeli media add. "This year's rainy season has been very weak and Jordan has collected only 63 per cent of the volume of water it collects on average annually," said the Jordanian ministry spokesman.

Jordan consumes 1.3 billion cubic metres of water each year. "Due to the lack of rainfall this year, the Kingdom will experience a deficit of 10 to 15 million cubic metres this summer," the spokesman said. According to him, the peace agreement stipulates that Israel provides Jordan with "55 million cubic metres per year free of charge and, as a rule, for difficult years, we ask this country for additional quantities of water, which it says it grants us," he added. This additional quota is payable and Jordan must pay $0.40 per cubic metre.

According to a 2019 report, Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. It draws almost 60% of its water from underground aquifers, extracting at twice the rate at which groundwater can be renewed. The rest comes from rivers and streams. In the capital, Amman, water is supplied to rooftop tanks once a week; other areas of the country are supplied less frequently.

According to one estimate, Jordan's water is enough to sustain two million people in a country of around ten million, a figure that has increased over the past decade by 1.5 million because of the influx of refugees, most of them fleeing the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

Lack of data, insufficient groundwater monitoring, poorly maintained infrastructure leading to leaks and massive water theft through thousands of illegally dug wells only exacerbate the shortages there.

But an economic crisis fuelled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the large influx of refugees from Syria and continuing water shortages have contributed to public unrest in Jordan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with King Abdullah last Thursday and "reaffirmed the United States' commitment to its strategic partnership with Jordan," a US State Department spokesman said. Blinken's call came a day after President Joe Biden underscored strong US support for Jordan and the king's leadership.