Is Water the Answer to Jordan and Israel's Strife?
The restoration of the life source that flows from Israel to Jordan may be exactly what the region needs to gain some political balance. The Jordan River, which has been sustaining civilizations for more than 8,000 years, is starting to deteriorate to little more than a sewage line, after just one generation.
The Jordan River is widely known for its religious and historical importance, baptizing almost half a million Christian pilgrims a year. However, according to 400 Israeli and Jordanian water experts, the river has been reduced to 90 percent of its original flow, allowing the Dead Sea to dry up. And that 10 percent of surface water that remains has diminished in quality considerably. As a result, Jordan struggles with water allocation and using adequate water for agriculture.
In 1964, Israel finished the construction of the 130 kilometer water carrier, which diverts 329 million cubic meters of water from Jordan annually. Jordan turned to the Yarmouk River, however, it learned that Syria diverts most of the flow from that river for agriculture. As a result, Jordan has been using diesel to pump ground water. The issue is that ground water is not a long-term solution to water scarcity because it is not easily replenished, and once it is used, it is gone forever.
However, there have been efforts to restore the Jordan River. In 2008 the World Bank worked together with Jordan, Israel, and Palestine by putting $10 billion dollars into the Red-Dead Sea project. In 2014, the International Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River brought together the region in attempt to solve the issue using desalination (the process of converting salt water into fresh water). More recent attempts to restore the river to its full utility include an initiative by the Jordan River Commission, which raised $500,000 for further research. The Jordan River Peace Park—a dual ecotourism and cultural heritage site—was designed in an attempt to restore nature and endangered species in the area, and hopefully ease regional tensions as well. However, efforts have been slowing down and political tensions are still on the rise.
These conferences have been effective in tying together Syria, Jordan, and Israel in a political sense because these rivers serve as natural borders. The Yarmouk separates Syria from Jordan in the north and Israel from Jordan further south. The Jordan River creates a natural boarder between Israel and Jordan. Moreover, the scarce level of water is necessary to continue maintaining agriculture, a main source of revenue for these countries.
For the last decades, human conflict and arrogance between the nations of the region have been responsible for the demise of the Jordan River. Now, we need to encourage cooperation in order to restore the health of the river that supported the great Egyptian, Hittite, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires.
While it is not a direct solution to their political conflicts, it is an effective vessel to, at the very least, tie the nations together politically and force cooperation, which in the future may lead to more friendly relations. Water is a life source: when there is little of it, it can bring nations down, but it can also build them up. Therefore, we as global citizens should be invested in the continuance of joint projects surrounding the restoration of the Jordan River or agricultural projects.
Alon Tal, a researcher from Ben Gurion University, put the cost of restoring the Jordan River into perspective during a 2014 conference. “Water presently costs Israelis about 60 cents per cubic meter. Producing 400 million cubic meters for the river would cost us about $240 million per year. But think about it: one B2 bomber costs two billion dollars. For the cost of one bomber every 8 years we could bring the river back to life.” Not only could it bring the river back to life, but it could bring nations together.
