Establishment of a groundwater monitoring and enforcement directorate at the water authority of Jordan : final report: project completion

Jordan has one of the lowest per capita water resources in the world, and groundwater levels are falling due to excessive extractions of groundwater for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses. If unchecked, these abstractions will have major economic, social, and environmental impacts. Current projects suggest major water deficits may occur within the next few decades as demand currently greatly exceeds sustainable supply from aquifers.
To meet the need for management systems that can help address issues facing groundwater, a 2002 by-law was issued to regulate groundwater use, including licensing, drilling, abstraction, and water tariffs. The by-law established water fees for private users as part of an overall effort to reduce groundwater use for agriculture and to encourage farmers to move to high-value crops. ARD assisted the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) to streamline its internal management systems and to improve its capability to monitor and enforce private groundwater abstractions. It supported the WAJ to carry out several activities: 1) the rationalisation of the institutional structure of WAJ to develop a seamless linkage between monitoring, billing, and enforcement of the new by-law; 2) the development of an improved monitoring system and data transmission service linking regional offices with WAJ headquarters; 3) the development of clear and practical Standard Operating Procedures for field operations, regional offices, and WAJ headquarters; 4) the establishment of an improved database management system to support evaluation of groundwater extractions and improve policy formulation; and 5) the undertaking of an impact assessment of by-law implementation on water users.