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Sharing the Waters of the Qa-Disi Aquifer

Sharing the Waters of the Qa-Disi Aquifer. By Aaron Thomas. “The earth is barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred, it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth.” – The Holy Quran, 22:5. Jordanian Water Situation. Pop. 6.3 million, 2.64% growth rate

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Sharing the Waters of the Qa-Disi Aquifer

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  1. Sharing the Waters of the Qa-Disi Aquifer By Aaron Thomas

  2. “The earth is barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred, it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth.”– The Holy Quran, 22:5

  3. Jordanian Water Situation • Pop. 6.3 million, 2.64% growth rate • Moderate amounts of surface water available, including the Yarmouk and Jordan Rivers • Most water used in Jordan is drawn from aquifers • Less than 170 m3 of renewable water per capita per year • Drought is a recurring problem • Water use per year: 1,000 mcm • By sector: 65% agriculture 35% domestic use & industry

  4. Saudi Water Situation • Pop. 28.6 million, 1.85% growth rate • No perennial rivers, hardly any surface water at all • Large oil reserves allow for desalination of up to 2,000 mcm of seawater a year, but expensive • Most water used is from non-recharging fossil aquifers • Water use per year: 20,000 mcm • By sector: 88% agriculture 12% domestic use & industry

  5. Qa-Disi Aquifer • Large sandstone aquifer extending from central Saudi Arabia north and west into Jordan to the east shore of the Dead Sea • Larger portion in Saudi Arabia also called the Saq • Mostly confined, receives virtually no recharge even from unconfined areas • Water movement is toward the northwest, very slow • Saudi portion estimated to have 28,000 mcm reserves

  6. Map showing the Qa-Disi/Saq aquifer in Saudi Arabia

  7. Current Uses for the Qa-Disi • Jordan currently uses 60-75 mcm/year used in irrigated agriculture, some to supply city of Aqaba • Saudi Arabia uses 650 mcm/year to supply the city of Tabuk and in large irrigation projects in neighboring areas • Crops are mostly wheat, barley, and other low value-added crops, grown in open fields

  8. Disi Water Conveyance Project • Plan to cut Jordan’s annual water deficit and help supply the capital city of Amman • To pump about 100 mcm/year from the Qa-Disi aquifer in the south 300 km north • Jordan has received extensive support from the World Bank, including loan guarantees to the government • Financing is almost complete – should be finalized this summer • Project is going ahead despite recent report that Qa-Disi water may be radioactive

  9. Qa-Disi water pump Map of the proposed Disi Water Conveyance Project

  10. Satellite image showing proposed Disi well field and extensive irrigation to the south

  11. Potential Sources of Law • UN Watercourse Convention • Bellagio Draft Treaty on Transboundary Groundwaters • ILC Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers • Islamic Law

  12. Obstacles to Agreement UN Watercourse Convention • Not signed or ratified by Saudi Arabia • Has not yet entered into force • Most importantly, probably does not apply to the Qa-Disi aquifer, because the aquifer lacks a direct connection to international surface waters Bellagio Draft Treaty • Never been used by anyone yet • Makes states give up a large amount of sovereignty

  13. Obstacles to Agreement ILC Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers • Have not been adopted by anyone yet • Still a work in progress Islamic Law • Islamic jurisprudence about transboundary groundwater is even less certain than is Western international groundwater law • Differing schools of jurisprudence • Islamic water law is mostly custom, which varies

  14. Prior Cooperation • 1979-83 Hamad Basin Project – joint data sharing project between S.A., Jordan, Syria & Iraq • 1977-79 FAO shared water resources study with the Arab Persian Gulf States • 1994-96 ESCWA remote sensing project • 1995 – Basalt Aquifer study project between Syria and Jordan; almost signed an MoU about integrated groundwater management

  15. Recommendations/Conclusions • Some agreement - any agreement – is better than no agreement • Even a simple data sharing agreement would provide crucial information for the better water management • The countries should seek the aid of foreign and international organizations such as ESCWA, BGR, and the World Bank – they would be eager to help • An agreement here would serve as an important test case for cooperative management of groundwater • These countries can’t afford to waste any more water

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