Combating desertification: Rainwater harvesting in Jordan

On a windy morning, the dust of Muwaggar, near Amman, turns the world into a uniform beige, hiding the sun and covering the stunted cypress trees at the University of Jordan's experimental farm with a thick layer of sand.

The Muwaggar watershed, which measures 5 kilometres (km) wide by 15 km long, is typical of other arid and semi-arid areas in Jordan and neighbouring countries, where the average rainfall is less than 200 millimetres per year. Throughout the Middle East, desertification is reducing the amount of land available for agriculture purposes. Meanwhile, demand for food increases due to a growing population, which includes returning refugees from Palestine and workers from Kuwait.

Capturing rainwater for agriculture

In response, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is supporting a pilot project in Muwaggar to help Jordan capture and make the most efficient use of rainwater for food and feed production. The project, which links scientists from the Middle East and Canada, focuses on rangeland in marginal arid regions where traditional farming is impossible and current irrigation methods are prohibitively expensive. The ultimate goals are to improve rangeland, enhance the cultivation of cereal crops, and combat desertification, which is rapidly accelerating due to the impact of human activities such as overgrazing, improper plowing, and the careless movement of motor vehicles.

The water-harvesting project involves researchers at the University of Jordan, Concordia University in Montreal, the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick, and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Syria (which is conducting socioeconomic research). The project was originally conceived by Professor Mohammad Shatanawi, director of the Water and Environment Research and Study Centre at the University of Jordan, in collaboration with Dr. Semaan Sarraf (formerly of Concordia University), and a graduate student.

Prediction/optimization program

Dr. Jean Drolet of Concordia University says the key tool is a computer program called WHOSE (Water-Harvesting Optimization Software Environment) under development at Concordia, which aims to integrate the prediction and optimization of rain water with geographical information system (GIS) facilities, for water harvesting, storage and utilization. When completed, the program could be used on 10-13% of Jordan's land area. The University of Jordan is now validating the crucial hydrological component of the program using field data collected over the past four years. According to Professor Shatanawi, the final version will be applied in Jordan, beginning next summer.

The Muwaggar area was chosen as a representative watershed because ground water is deep and scarce, rainfall is unpredictable, and flash floods are common. Michel Rahbeh, a hydrologist and research assistant, says the soil surface is so hard that most of the water runs off when it rains and is ultimately lost to evaporation.

Soils prone to desertification

Local soils are highly fragile and subject to desertification, states Professor Awni Taimeh, Director General of Jordan's National Centre for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer, who conducted the soil research. Where desertification has begun, any additional stresses "will accelerate the degradation and cause permanent loss of productivity," he says.

Rahbeh makes weekly visits to the University of Jordan's rainfall and flood measuring devices, weirs and data recorders. The resulting data, when combined with information on land use, the soil's ability to absorb and store water, and suitable crops for such conditions, will result in a model that can predict how much water is available for agricultural purposes, and where and when it should be used to maximize benefits. It will also be used to help select and design appropriate storage systems and identify sustainable water uses. In other words, "we will guide farmers and decision-makers in the selection of areas suitable for wheat, barley, improvement of rangeland, or ground water recharge," says Professor Shatanawi.

Engineering traditional practices

Professor Shatanawi notes that the traditional way to harvest water in Jordan is to collect and store it in cisterns for human and animal consumption. "The aim of this project is to engineer the old practices on a larger scale for agricultural production," he says. "This is about applying practical know-how to improve the utilization of natural resources."

According to Dr. Drolet, "we need to copy and rediscover the wisdom that has been accumulated in semi-arid areas over millennia and to adapt it carefully to the current situation with modern tools. We must be very careful here, as it is easy to do more harm than good in a sensitive environment such as Muwaggar."

Attracting attention

The project has already attracted the attention of local farmers, four of whom have built reservoirs. Rahbeh adds that at least two others are constructing dams across small wadis (a wadi is an ephemeral river, created when torrential rains occur) to retain water for irrigating olive trees. These reservoirs, like those at the University of Jordan's experimental farm, can some times be filled and used more than once a year.

Information from the IDRC-sponsored project may eventually be integrated with data from other initiatives such as the Jordan Arid Zone Productivity Project (JAZPP). "We hope we can use this computer model or a similar one to model the hydrology of our project area, which runs the length of Jordan," says Dr. Richard Dunham, the JAZPP coordinator.

Leila Deeb is a freelance journalist based in Amman, Jordan.

Resource Persons:

Professor Mohammad R. Shatanawi, Director of Water and Environment Research and Study Centre, and Mr. Michel Rahbeh, Research Assistant, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; Tel: 00962-6-843-555; Res: 846-940; Fax: 00962-6-840-150; E-mail: juwater@amra.nicgov.jo

Professor Awni Y. Taimeh, Director General, National Centre for Agricultural Research and Technological Transfer, P.O. Box 639, Baq'a 19381 Jordan; Tel: 00962-6-726-680; Res: 841-779; E-mail: NCAERR@nets.com.jo

Dr. Jean Drolet, Department of Civil Engineering, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1M8; Tel: (514) 848-7800; E-mail: jd@civil.concordia.ca

Dr. Richard Dunham, Project Coordinator, Jordan Arid Zone Productivity Project (JAZPP), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; Tel: 00962-6-843-555, ext. 2580 or 2579; Fax: 00962-6-832-093

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Links to explore ...

Related IDRC articles and publications:

Drylands and Desertification - July 1994 Issue of IDRC Reports

Seeking Sustainability in Rural Egypt: Linking Science and Indigenous Knowledge, by Kirsteen MacLeod

Desertification: A Backgrounder for Journalists

Grassroots Indicators for Desertification: Experience and perspectives from Eastern and Southern Africa

Water Management in Africa and the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities

Watershed: The Role of Fresh Water in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Additional resources:

FAO Land and Water Development Division Homepage

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Combating Desertification and Desert Rehabilitation

Status of Desertification and Implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Combat Desertification

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Updated May 30, 1997. Please send your comments to editor of Reports.