Jordan River Basin

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Jordan River Basin
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Hydrology of the system
Hasbani (Lebanon)
Dan (Israel)
Banias (Syria)
Lake Tiberias
Yarmuk (Syria) and Jordan
Israel and West Bank
Jordan
Dead sea
http//www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80858e/80858
E06.htm
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The Jordan River
Average annual flow 540 million cubic
meters Compared to the annual flow at the Aswan
Dam 84 billion cubic meters
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Water Scarcity
In the year 2000, the per capita water resource
potentials in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine were
250 m3, 234 m3 and 115 m3, respectively, placing
the countries in the bottom 20 percent of the
world water poverty scale.
http//www.greencrossinternational.net/GreenCrossP
rograms/waterres/pdf/WFP_Jordan.pdf
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Water Projects
Israel National water carrier transports water
from the sea of Galilee to the coastal populated
region and for irrigation in central and southern
parts of the country. Utilizes almost all the
flow of the upper Jordan River basin. Jordan
East Ghor Canal Diverts the water of the Yarmuk
for irrigation. Syria A series of earth dams
on the Yarmuk
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Allocations

• Israel uses about 500 million cubic meters
  (25-30 of the countries supply) from the upper
  Jordan and from the Galilee sea through its
  national carrier and local water uses. 100
  million cubic meters are diverted from the Yarmuk
  to The Galilee sea.
• Jordan 36 of the water available to Jordan
  comes from sources shared with Israel, Syria and
  the Palestinians. Draws 160 million cubic meters
  from the Yarmuk to the Ghor canal.
• Syria and Lebanon have other water sources and
  the Jordan River Basin accounts for less then 5
  of their available water. Uses about 90 million
  cubic meter fro irrigating.

Israel and Jordan use large portions of the water
for agriculture
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Israel - Jordan water agreement

• Bilateral agreement between Israel and Jordan
• Exchange of water allocations
• Water rights were not discussed
• Uncertainty was addressed through fixed
  allocations to one country on one river while the
  other has the right to utilize the rest
• Cooperation in developing new water resources,
  and information sharing
• Storage sharing in the Sea of Galilee
• Water quality issues were addressed