Wastewater reuse in Jordan and its potential as an adaptation measure to climate change

Abstract

Reclaiming wastewater for reuse in agriculture is increasingly adopted by many countries around the globe. This is particularly true for Jordan, which is characterised as a water-scarce country where the per-capita share from renewable water resources is less than 100 (m3/capita)/year. The Third National Jordanian Communication report on climate change has estimated a significant decrease in precipitation of 1·2 mm/year and an increase in the mean air temperature by 0·02°C/year, which will be adversely reflected on the water resources potential. To bridge the gap between water resources, supply potential and the demand, Jordan utilises non-conventional water resources, such as wastewater reuse in irrigation, where agriculture accounted for 52% of the water use in the country in 2017. The main objective of the present paper is to update the Jordanian experience in wastewater reuse and to explore its potential as an adaptive measure to climate change. The analysis revealed that 92% of the treated wastewater has been reused either directly or indirectly, mainly for irrigation. Treated wastewater can be considered as an adaptation measure to climate change that is capable of reducing the deficit between demand and water resource potential up to 48% by the year 2025.