f Vision and Politics of Water in the Middle East: Challenges Facing Jordan River and Dead Sea

The limited water resources in Jordan as well as the neighbourhood countries may cuase future conflicts among water resources because of rising water demands, aridity, climate change, and food security issues. The water topic in Middle East region is one way or another, finds its ways in the front. Scientists from Middle East region and abroad have always found it fascinating to tackle the subject of in Jordan, Israel and Palestine water condition. Determined to overcome water scarcity challenge, Jordan has embarked on a series of actions, policies, and projects to insure meeting future water needs. Working alongside international agencies, private sector, agreements with neighbourhood countries and academic institutions, Jordan has adapted several approaches in dealing with water scarcity: water resources planning and water demand management, water recycling (wastewater, grey water and brackish water); water desalination using renewable energy, national and international regional projects such as Disi and Red Dead Sea projects, respectively. Nonetheless, pressures and competition over the available water resources are mounting every year. Furthermore, demand management programs are yet to prove effective in a country in which the current water use per capita is already at a minimum compared to healthy standards. Apparently, several challenges set ahead in the future for Jordan as well as the neighbouring countries. The decrease in the Jordan River flow due to water diversion for domestic uses has also caused a lowering of the water line (a meter a year, 25 meters since 1980). The whole southern basin of the Dead Sea has dried up and has been turned into an industrial site, potentially life-threatening sinkholes (nature’s revenge) (Figure 1), Sewage/Pollution of the unique qualities of Dead Sea water, Moreover, no master plan is in place and plans for development are totally uncoordinated. Lastly, will water scarcity and fragile ecosystem in the region will be enough to be a bridge to take the region from conflict to peace in the Middle East?