هذا التقرير متاح أيضًا بـ العربية
Jordan is facing a shortfall of half a billion cubic meters of water that has not entered its water budget, split between 200 million cubic meters that were supposed to come from a regional desalination project that stalled before a final implementation agreement, and 300 million cubic meters expected from the National Water Carrier between Aqaba and Amman starting in 2030.
Between one stalled project and another still awaiting operation, the kingdom is covering its daily gap by pumping beyond safe limits from groundwater basins, expanding the use of treated water, and relying on flows governed by agreements with neighboring countries.
Andestimated Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation put annual demand for all uses in 2023 at about 1.202 billion cubic meters, while government strategy documents projected a supply-demand gap of 261 million cubic meters by 2025.
The fact that actual groundwater withdrawals exceeded the safe limit by about 280 million cubic meters in 2023 shows how the kingdom is covering a large share of this shortfall.
In late 2025, an agreement that had added 50 million cubic meters annually to Jordan’s supplies from “Israel” expired, increasing pressure on the National Water Carrier as the largest anticipated new source of drinking water.
Ministry data outlines a water map that combines groundwater, surface water, treated water, and cross-border sources, even as each source differs in its ability to meet demand and remain sustainable in the years ahead.
Where does Jordan get its water today?
In its bulletin “Facts and Figures 2023,” Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation provides an overview of the resource map used across different sectors. These resources are divided among about 683 million cubic meters of groundwater, 325 million cubic meters of surface water, and about 195 million cubic meters of treated wastewater that is reused.
Shared resources, or those linked to neighboring countries, account for about 26% of total water resources. Drinking water in particular depends more heavily on groundwater sources, whether through local basins or through the Disi project, which has been pumping to Amman since 2013, while groundwater basins remain both the most significant source and the most fragile at the same time.
The ministry sets the safe withdrawal limit at about 419 million cubic meters annually, divided between 275.5 million cubic meters of renewable water and about 143 million cubic meters of nonrenewable reserves over a 50-year horizon. Actual withdrawals in 2023 reached about 699 million cubic meters, a difference of nearly 281 million cubic meters above the safe limit.
This track includes the Disi project, which has provided the capital with a major source of deep groundwater, while surface water coming from dams, the Yarmouk River, and the King Abdullah Canal continues to supply drinking water and irrigation, alongside the growing role of treated wastewater, of which about 195 million cubic meters were reused in 2023.
The following map shows the main routes through which water reaches Jordan. It highlights the Disi basin and its transmission line to Amman, the Yarmouk River system, Al-Wehda Dam, and the King Abdullah Canal in the north, the water line coming from Lake Tiberias, as well as wastewater treatment plants and the direction of their agricultural use in the Jordan Valley.
This map helps distinguish between local resources, such as groundwater and treated water, and cross-border resources tied to agreements or shared sources with neighboring countries.
As for the water Jordan receives from the occupied Palestinian territories, it is based on legal and operational arrangements that have accumulated since the 1994 peace treaty signed with “Israel.”
The water annex stipulates the transfer of 20 million cubic meters in summer from the Jordan River, and 10 million cubic meters of desalinated water from saline springs or from river water until desalination becomes operational, along with storage arrangements and Yarmouk water-sharing provisions, as well as a cooperation clause to develop an additional 50 million cubic meters annually.
In July 2021, then-Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced, after meeting Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, an agreement to sell Jordan an additional 50 million cubic meters. That agreement expired in late 2025, reducing the fresh water available to Amman by 50 million cubic meters annually, according to the International Monetary Fund in a June 2026 report.
Over the past two decades, treated water has shifted from a secondary resource to a fixed component of the water budget, while seawater desalination has remained limited to small-scale capacity in Aqaba, pending the launch of the National Water Carrier.
As a result, Jordan’s water map today appears to rest on a mix of deep groundwater pumping, fluctuating surface water, treated water, and cross-border sources affected by agreements, politics, and climate conditions.
How much water does Jordan need, and how much is it short?
In its bulletin “Facts and Figures 2023,” Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation estimates annual demand across all sectors at about 1.202 billion cubic meters.
The agricultural sector accounts for 623 million cubic meters, or about 52% of the total, compared with 527 million cubic meters for household and tourism use, 40.3 million cubic meters for industry, and 12 million cubic meters for Bedouin uses.
Per capita renewable fresh water stands at about 61 cubic meters annually, an indicator that reflects the limits of natural resources before adding treated water, pumping from deep reserves, and supplies coming from abroad.
The size of the gap changes depending on the type of resources used in the calculation. Comparing estimated demand with available conventional resources, put at about 1.008 billion cubic meters, places the difference at 194 million cubic meters.
When sustainable resources are calculated by combining the safe withdrawal limit for groundwater of 419 million cubic meters with 325 million cubic meters of surface water and about 195 million cubic meters of treated water, available supply falls to about 939 million cubic meters, and the gap rises to about 263 million cubic meters.
This calculation is close to an earlier government estimate of a 261 million-cubic-meter supply-demand gap by 2025, despite differences in the year of measurement and the methodology used.
The kingdom covers a large share of this gap by withdrawing from groundwater basins beyond safe limits. Actual pumping in 2023 reached about 699 million cubic meters, nearly 281 million cubic meters above the safe level.
That pumping gives the system additional quantities in the short term, while its effects gradually appear in falling basin levels, declining water quality, and rising extraction costs.
The following infographic shows the difference between the resource gap and losses in drinking water networks. It measures the gap between demand and available or sustainable resources, and also tracks water that entered distribution networks without generating corresponding revenue, including leaks and commercial and administrative losses.
Ministry data estimates actual leakage from water networks at about 106 million cubic meters annually, representing about 43% of total nonrevenue water, which amounts to 246.3 million cubic meters. These losses are linked to deteriorating pipes, tanks, and connections, depriving the network of large quantities before they reach subscribers.
The remaining roughly 140 million cubic meters is concentrated in commercial and administrative losses, including meter and billing errors, attacks on the networks, illegal consumption, and quantities used without corresponding revenue being recorded. That means addressing losses requires two parallel tracks: first, repairing infrastructure; second, tightening oversight and improving metering and collection.
The national strategy aims to reduce nonrevenue water to 25% by 2040. Applying that target to the volume of supply recorded in 2023 would reduce total nonrevenue water by about 113 million cubic meters annually. The effect would be seen in recovering part of the leaked water, improving collection, curbing violations, and increasing the accuracy of metering and billing.
Population and climate shifts are adding pressure to the system. The ministry estimated that household demand in the northern governorates rose by about 40% during the years of receiving Syrian refugees.
At the same time, less than 10% of rainfall turns into usable surface runoff or groundwater recharge, while Yarmouk flows are declining, dam storage is fluctuating, and illegal wells continue to deplete the basins. Authorities sealed 137 unlicensed wells during 2023.
The shortfall approaches half a billion cubic meters when the sustainable resource gap, estimated at about 263 million cubic meters, is combined with 246 million cubic meters of nonrevenue water. This figure combines a shortage in available resources with water that entered distribution networks and then either leaked out or failed to generate revenue, leaving Jordan with two parallel crises: securing new sources and improving the efficiency of existing networks.
As for the half-billion tied to projects, it consists of 300 million cubic meters expected from the National Water Carrier and 200 million cubic meters that had been proposed under the regional water-for-energy project that stalled before implementation.
How is Jordan trying to close the gap?
The Aqaba-Amman water desalination and conveyance project known as the National Water Carrier is at the forefront of plans to increase supplies. It includes desalinating 300 million cubic meters annually from the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, then transporting them through a pipeline about 450 kilometers long toward the capital and linking them to the supply system in other governorates. The government estimates that the targeted output would cover about 40% of drinking water needs, and it has set 2030 as the expected date for pumping to begin.
The project is being developed by the National Water Carrier Project Company, which is 90% owned by Meridiam, the French infrastructure investment company, and 10% by SUEZ, the French company active in water management and environmental services.
The government signed the project’s initial agreement on Jan. 12, 2025, then concluded the final technical and legal agreement on April 21, 2026, after negotiations that lasted about 16 months.
Cost estimates vary depending on the scope of each document. In May 2025, the Ministry of Water estimated the project’s cost at about $2.5 billion, with roughly $500 million secured through grants and aid.
The European Investment Bank, the European Union’s financing institution, estimates the cost at about 3.282 billion euros, while documents from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development put the estimate at about $4 billion.
And signed the European Investment Bank in December 2022 signed a 200 million-euro loan to support the Jordanian government’s contribution, then approved additional financing worth 427 million euros in July 2025.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also announced financing of up to $475 million for the project company, while other parties, including the European Union and Germany’s KfW development bank, participated in loan and grant packages. Government data indicates a direct contribution from the treasury of 300 million dinars, along with external grants totaling $642 million.
Once operational, the carrier will give Jordan a domestic source equal to three times the amount it had been receiving from “Israel” during the period of the additional agreement, when the operational supply in circulation stood at about 100 million cubic meters annually. How much water actually reaches consumers will depend on network efficiency, because if losses remain at current levels, part of the new production will be lost.
The project came after another regional track stalled, one that would have added 200 million cubic meters annually. On Nov. 22, 2021, Jordan, the UAE, and “Israel” signed a declaration of intent to study a project calling for the construction of a 600-megawatt solar power plant in the kingdom in exchange for producing desalinated water for Amman in “Tel Aviv,” followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 8, 2022.
On Nov. 16, 2023, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said his country would not sign the final agreement in light of the Israeli assault on Gaza. The project therefore stopped at the declaration of intent and memorandum of understanding stage, and the proposed water quantity remained outside actual supplies.
At the same time, the government is working to reduce network losses, expand wastewater reuse, desalinate brackish groundwater, improve irrigation efficiency, and crack down on illegal wells.
It has also established 521 water-harvesting projects, including desert dams, ponds, and pits for collecting rainwater and flash floods, with a total design capacity of about 128 million cubic meters. These facilities serve agriculture, local communities, and livestock, while their actual yield depends on rainfall volumes and annual storage levels.
Whether Jordan’s water map changes by 2030 depends on progress along three interconnected tracks: the National Water Carrier must reach full-capacity operation, drinking water networks must reduce leakage and commercial losses, and the agricultural sector must absorb larger quantities of treated water to free up fresh water for cities.
If these tracks advance, Jordan will gain 300 million cubic meters from desalination, recover part of the roughly 106 million cubic meters estimated as actual leakage, and continue expanding its treated water resource, which has approached 200 million cubic meters annually.
But if delays, overpumping, and high losses continue, the water budget will remain tied to consuming groundwater reserves and to sources affected by rainfall, political relations, and external financing.