The Waleh Dam in Madaba was built in 2003 with a storage capacity of 9 million m3. It is now dry, due to insufficient precipitation and the evaporation of water by about 9,000 m3 per day as a result of high temperatures.
Farmers in the region appealed to the authorities to save their agricultural crops, including many vegetables and fruit trees, which are threatened by the depletion of the water reservoir.
“Approximately 2,000 acres, planted with vegetables and fruit trees, and dozens of farmers and families who live off of these farms are suffering great losses now due to the crisis. The crops are in dire need of irrigation to maintain their growth, especially as the harvest time approaches,” Secretary General of the Jordanian Farmers Union (JFU) Mahmoud Oran told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.
All environmental plans must be reviewed to suit the climatic changes happening around the world, not only Jordan, Oran said. “We have repeatedly encouraged and warned the concerned authorities to work out a clearer strategy to deal with environmental issues in Jordan, especially water harvesting, which is important for maintaining food security in the long run.”