Jordan: Water demand expected to spike during Ramadan

A surge in demand for water is expected during the holy month of Ramadan, prompting authorities to tap new resources and accelerate work on supply projects, a government official said on Tuesday.

While water consumption typically rises during Ramadan, the water situation is expected to be even tougher than usual this year, Ministry of Water and Irrigation Spokesperson Omar Salameh said.

“The rise in temperatures with the onset of Ramadan is expected to push demand way above average... In addition, power cuts are a major challenge to ensuring a smooth water distribution programme,” Salameh told The Jordan Times.

A non-stop influx of Syrian refugees to the Kingdom, now estimated to number over 137,000, is putting further pressure on Jordan’s limited water resources, Salameh said, underscoring that water disruptions in the northern governorates are partly due to unnatural population growth since the Syrian uprising started early last year.

“Not much can be done to address this problem, because every available water resource is being used to provide water to consumers and ensure a constant supply during summer,” he underscored.

More intensive monitoring of water distribution and accelerated implementation of water projects in several governorates are among the measures the ministry is taking to reduce water complaints this summer, the official said.

“An additional 30,000 cubic metres per day has been allocated for the capital this summer, while new pipelines and water pumps in Zarqa, Karak and Mafraq started operating recently to improve supply.”

Households receive water once a week in Amman and every 10-14 days in the rest of the country on a rotating basis under the water distribution programme.

Scarce water resources in the country, categorised as the fourth poorest in the world in terms of water availability, compelled the Kingdom to initiate the programme in the early 1980s to conserve limited water and ensure a sustainable water supply for subscribers.