Water Resources Quality, Sustainability and Development

Scarcity of water has traditionally restricted development in the Jordanian Badia and will remain a limiting factor in the future. Sustainable development in this vast, arid area depends on the provision of adequate, long-term supplies of good quality water for human consumption, livestock and agriculture. Consequently, water has been one of the themes of the Geomorphology and Physical Resources component of the Badia Research and Development Programme (BRDP) since the Programme started in 1992. The work during Phase 1 concentrated on the evaluation of groundwater resources, which are very substantial in the Programme area and provide the most widespread and reliable source of water. However, for sustainable supplies, it is essential to avoid over-abstraction, because ‘the exploitation of most groundwater aquifers beyond their safe yield is causing depletion and salination of the water and this practice should be stopped before permanent and irreversible damage occurs’ (HCST 1993).