JORDAN CASE STUDY
GULF OF AQABA
Sustainable Management of Scarce
Resources in the Coastal Zone
SMART
By
Muhammad R Shatanawi
University of Jordan
Overview of Jordan
 Geographical Localization:
 Latitude: between 29 º 11´ N and 33 º 22´ N
 Longitude: between 34 º 19´ E and 39 º 18´ E
 Area : 89,400 sq. Km
 Jordan can be divided into three distinct regions from west to
east:
 Jordan Rift Valley
 Plateau
 The Semi Desert (Badia)
Overview of Jordan
 The Jordan Rift Valley is part of the Great Rift Valley
where it runs from lake Taberia in the North to the Gulf
of Aqaba to the south. Officially the area bounded by
elevations of 400 m below sea level and 300 m above sea
level is called the JRV.
 The plateau elevation varies from 300 m to about 1200
m.
 The Badia Region encompass about 90% of the country
and it is a semi desert area.
POPULATION
Population Analysis of Jordan from 1961 to 2001
Population
1961
1979
1994
2001
Total population (million)
0.901
2.133
4.139
5.182
Population<15 years (%)
45.6
51.6
41.7
39.6
Population 15-64 years (%)
50.6
45.6
55.7
57.7
Population 65+ (%)
3.8
2.8
2.6
2.7
160.9
321.3
666.3
893.5
5.6
6.7
6.1
5.8
Total No.of Households (000)
Average Size of Households (person)
Economic Performance
Jordan Basic Data
Indicator
1999 2000 2001
GDP (in USD)
8.07 8.337 8.73
GDP growth (%)
3.1
3.9
4.2
Per capita GDP (in USD) 1646 1654 1685
Population (million)
4.9
5
5.18
Unemployment rate (%) 14.2 13.7 13.2
Water Resources
Summary of water supply (MCM/year)
Year
M&I
supply
Agriculture
Supply
Total
Supply
1998
2005
2010
2015
2020
275
363
486
589
660
623
679
764
693
627
898
1042
1250
1283
1287
Water Resources
Water Requirements (MCM/year)
Year
1998
2005
2010
2015
2020
M&I
Agriculture
Requirements Requirements
342
463
533
639
757
863
858
904
897
890
Total
Requirements
1205
1321
1436
1536
1647
Water Resources
Water Supply and Requirements (MCM/year)
Year
1998
2005
2010
2015
2020
Total
Total Deficit
Requirements Supply
1205
1321
1436
1536
1647
898
1042
1250
1283
1287
-307
-279
-186
-254
-360
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a small semi-enclosed
northwestern branch of the Red Sea, 180
km long and 5 to 26 km wide. It reaches a
maximum depth of 1828 m and an average
depth of 800 m. Egypt occupies most of the
Gulf's western shore, stretching some
200km northward from RAS Mohammed
National Park, at the southern tip of the
Sinai Peninsula, to the resort complex at
Taba, before the Israel border. Israel, with
a coastline of approximately 14 km, runs
from the Taba border crossing, through the
resort town of Eliat. Jordan's 26.5 km
stretch of gulf coast runs southward to
Saudi Arabia, which has some 130 km of
largely undeveloped coastline.
Gulf of Aqaba - LANDSAT 7 2003
Aqaba Governorate
Total Area 6904 Km2 represent 7.4 % of
Jordan. It consists of four counties:
County
Area
Population
Aqaba
Wadi Araba
Quayrah
Dissi
Total
2018
2322
1050
1514
6904
85,000
4,165
12,588
3,416
104,160
Aqaba Watershed
(North Wadi Araba Basin)
Water Resources for Aqaba
Aqaba City
 No surface water
 Groundwater 17 MCM/y from 17 wells comes from:
- Dissi well field
- Abu Dba’a wells
- Wadi Al- Yutum wells
 Treated wastewater
 Future desalination
Wadi Araba County
 There is a potential for surface water small Dams on side wadis
to catch the flush floods
 groundwater 1.5 MCM/y
 Desalinated Brackish water 0.3 MCM/y
 No treated effluent
Water Resources for Aqaba
Quayrah County




No surface water
Groundwater 1.1 MCM/y from 5 wells
Groundwater for Agriculture 6.5 MCM
No treated effluent (septic Tanks are used)
Dissi County
 No surface water
 Groundwater produce 3.0 MCM from domestic
 Agricultural Activities consumes 20.0 MCM
AQABA City
Aqaba economic growth over the past two decades has
been accompanied by a parallel growth in population.
Since 1972, Aqaba has expanded from a small town of
10,000 to a city of 85,000 inhabitants today. By the
year 2005, Aqaba is predicted to reach a population of
115,000. Beyond the year 2005, the region's planners
anticipate a doubling of the coastal population to
approximately 230,000 by the year 2020, taking into
account current plans for resort hotel and vacation
community development as well as a new town of
"Taibeh" in the upland area of Jordan's southern coastal
zone.
AQABA COAST LINE
AQABA SPECIAL ECONOMIC
ZONE AUTHORITY
In a step toward economical
reform, the Aqaba special
economic zone (ASEZA) was
established by a law in 2000. The
law provides low tax and duty free
business environment. The
authority utilize the existing
utilities, physical and social
infrastructure. It shall encourage
investors to do business and
provide attractive package of
incentives. ASEZA workplan
define the long-term strategy for
organizing and managing the
growth of Aqaba
Distribution of Annual Water Demand
of Aqaba
1997
Water Use
Domestic
Quantity
(MCM)
3.78
2002
Quantity
Percentage
Percentage
(MCM)
42.00
3.96
35.26
Industrial
4.72
52.23
4.74
42.21
Toursim
0.34
3.77
0.28
2.50
Agriculture
0.18
2.00
2.25
20.03
Total
9.02
100.00
11.23
100.00
Projected Population and Water Resource
Demand for Aqaba
Year
2000
2002
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
Population
77,000
Water demand, MCM/y
13.6
14.2
24.9
33.4
43.2
51.9
58.8
Availabe water resources with
wadi Al Yutum, MCM/y
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
Availabe water resources from
Dissi (non renewable), MCM/y
17.5
17.5
17.5
17.5
17.5
17.5
17.5
Water demand gap, MCM/Y
0
0
0.2
3.4
8.9
15.2
22.1
Desalination capacity
0
0
2
5
10
20
25
Total
available
water
resources with desalination,
MCM/y
17.5
17.5
19.5
22.5
27.5
37.5
42.5
84,000 114,000 149,000 193,000 236,000 256,000
CLIMATE
Mean Maximum Air Temperature o C
Station
Jan
Fab
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec Yearly
Period
Aqaba Airport
20.9 22.2 25.7
30.7
35.2
38.4
39.4
39.2
36.4
32.7
27
21.8
30.8
1959-1999
Aqaba Port
20.1 21.8 24.9
29.7
33.8
37.1
38.2
37.7
35.4
31.9
26.3
22
29.9
1966-1996
Mean Minimum Air Temperature o C
Aqaba Airport
8.9
10.1 12.9
Aqaba Port
11.5 12.7
15
16.9
20.7
23.6
25
15.3
23.3
19.9
14.9
10.3
17.7
1959-1999
18.8
22.3
25
26.5
26.6
24.7
22.2
17.3
12.9
19.6
1966-1996
Absolute Maximum Air Temperature
Aqaba Airport
Aqaba Port
31.5 32.7 36.9
30
31.8 35.4
o
C
44.7
45.2
47.6
46
47.6
45
41.2
37.6
32
47.6
1959-1999
42
45
46.5
48.8
44.5
44.5
41
36.5
30.6
48.8
1965-1996
Absolute Minimum Air Temperature
o
C
Aqaba Airport
1.4
2.8
4.2
6.2
13.6
17.8
19.5
21
18
13.4
6
2.5
1.4
1959-1999
Aqaba Port
5.6
4.8
7.5
10.6
15
18.8
21
20.8
17
16.4
6
3.5
3.5
1965-1996
21
21.8
16.1
17.2
14.2
24.8
1959-1999
1966-1996
Mean Monthly Air temperature
Aqaba Airport
Aqaba Port
14.7 16.2 19.3
15.9 17.3 19.9
23.8
24.3
17.9
28
31
31.1
32.2
32.3
32.3
32.2
29.9
30.1
o
C
26.3
27.4
CLIMATE
Total Rainfall Amount (mm )
Station
Aqaba
Airport
Aqaba
Port
Jan Fab Mar Apr May Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep Oct Nov
Dec Yearly
Period
4.9
5.3
4.6
3.5
1
0
0
0
0
1.9
3
7.6
31.8 1946-1999
3.4
6.2
4.6
2.4
1.4
0
0
0
0
1.2
3.4
4.6
27.2 1966-1996
Mean Relative Humidity (%)
Aqaba
Airport
Aqaba
Port
58
54
49.8
41
58 70.3 52.4 47.2
36
36
37.8
41.4 49.8 49.5 52.7
59.1
41
41
44.1
46.8 51.1 53.1 54.6
60
49
1977-1999
51.6 1965-1995
Land use units in Aqaba
(modified After Water Authority of Jordan,2000)
Regional DEM model of the study area and
its surroundings
Activities that Affect Environment










Aquatic Tourism
Oil Spills
Waste Oil Contamination
Air Pollution from Land Transportation
Solid Waste
Phosphate dust
Chemical pollution from industries
Thermal pollution from Power Plant
Sewage discharge
Return flow from Irrigation
Industrial Activities
Most of the Industrial activities are located in the
South Coast Industrial Zone adjacent to Saudi
Border. The main activities are:
 JPMC Industrial Complex
 The Thermal Power Plant
 Arab Potash Corporation
Jordan Phosphate Industrial Complex
 Utility Unit
• Water Treatment Unit
• Steam Unit
• Power Generating Unit
 Sulfuric Acid Factory
 Phosphate Acid Factory
 Fertilizer Factory
 Aluminum Fluoride Factory
Jordan Phosphate Mining
Company Fertilizer Factory
Produces: 740,000 tons of DAP
270,000 tons of Phosphoric Acid
Utilizes : Sulfuric Acid
Reject : Gypsum
Release : 20,000 m3/hr of cooling water
Issues : ship loading and unloading risk of flash
floods from gypsum mountains. This
contain fluorine
Aqaba Thermal Power Plant
Produces
Expansion
consumes
Discharge
: 260 MW
: 520 MW
: 1200 tons of fuel oil per day
: 38,000 m3 of cooling water at 20 m depth
and 200 m away
Temperature : 5-8°C above ambient temperature
Issues
: Impact on marine life
Oil transport via tankers
Sulfur release from the plant (35 tons/ day)
CO2 generation and gas emission
Solvochem Tank Farm
It Serves as port reception and storage facilities
for imported chemicals. The Tank Farm
contains 17 tanks and projected to increase to
31 tanks in the future. About 12,000 tons of
chemical and 400 tons of oil are received every
year.
Arab Potash Company
Storage Facilities
Store : 75,000 tons in two separate
places
Generate: Dust from Conveyors
Phosphate Dust from Export
 The dust is generated from ship loading facilities in
Aqaba and Eliat. In spite of safety measures,
substantial quantities of dust emission occur during
the unloading of phosphate from trucks and train
cars and during ship loading
 the dust can contribute to depressed coral growth,
but reduction in the dust is feasible through
improved choke feeder operation, and changing of
equipment
Sewage Discharge
About 65% of the population are served with sewage
collection system and treatment plant. The remaining
35 %, living in the old city, are still using septic tanks.
Some of these tanks leak and do not meet the
standards with the result that some untreated sewage
percolate into underlying groundwater aquifers.
The treatment plant of 9000 m3/day capacity, operates
now at 50% capacity (4500 m3/day). About 1600 m3
are lost as seepage to groundwater and about 1400 m3
are lost as evaporation. The effluent ranges from 750
m3 to 1500 m3 in summer and winter, respectively.
These amounts are used for landscape and agricultural
irrigation.
Return for Irrigation
The treatment plant for Aqaba city will be upgraded
to reduce evaporation and seepage losses and to
improve effluent quality. The generated amounts
will be used for irrigation of palm trees, forage
crops, landscape, street bushed and the potential
golf course.
With the sandy soil condition, deep percolation
from irrigation is not available. It is expected that
with the best irrigation management and systems,
the losses can reach 20-25%. This amounts will
percolate to shallow groundwater and eventually
will reach the Gulf
Potential Impact for Future Development




development of new Hotels and resort cities
Increase in population due to new job opportunities
The proposal Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal
new Industries
– Hasad liquid fertilizer
– Kemira Arab Potash Company
– Lumber Factory
 Tourist Activities
 Housing Development
Institutional Framework and Stockholder






Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
The Ports Corporation
The Royal Jordanian Navy
Aqaba Municipality
Aqaba Marine Science Station
Public Institutions
 Ministry of health
 Ministry of Water and Irrigation
 The Water Authority
 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
 Ministry of Environment
 Non-Government Organization
 Jordan Environment Society
 Royal Scientific Society
 Royal Society for Conservation of Nature
 Royal Diving Club
 Regional and International Institutions
Laws and Regulations
Domestic









Law of ASEZA established in 2000
law of Environmental Protection (1955)
By- Law of the Ministry of Environment
Jordan Standard Specification (No 20,1991)
Jordan Standard Specification (No 893,2002)
Shipping law (1961)
Waste discharge from ship (regulation)
Agricultural Law (2002)
Water Authority Law
Laws and Regulations
International
Jeddah Convention (1982) for the Conservation of
the Red Sea
Basel Convention (1989) Transboundary Movement
of Hazards waste and their disposal.
International Convention for the prevention of
Pollution from ships
Bi-Lateral agreements and Arrangements
End of Slide Show