VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #1639/01 1531101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011101Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2757
INFO RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1205
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 5043
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 5998
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2860
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3677
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3900
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1964
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RUEHDOI/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC

UNCLAS AMMAN 001639 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA, AND OES 
STATE PASS TO USAID 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL 
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE/INTERNATIONAL 
INTERIOR FOR INTERNATIONAL/WASHBURNE 
CAIRO FOR VIALA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAGR PGOV PREL JO IS
SUBJECT: Jordan Strikes Deal for Israeli Water Assistance; Domestic 
Water Demand Still Exceeds Supply 
 
REF:  A) Amman 409 
 B) Amman 228 
 
(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Jordan is preparing for a rough summer of water 
supply constraints, a result of the recent winter providing less 
precipitation than expected.  To mitigate the impact, Jordan has 
reached an agreement with Israel in which the latter will provide an 
additional 11 million cubic meters (MCM) of water this summer to 
Jordan from Lake Tiberias/Sea of Galilee.  Most of this additional 
water is intended for municipal needs, which take priority over all 
other sectors, according to GOJ policy.  Only 43 percent of the 
agricultural water needs in the Jordan Valley are currently being 
supplied, sufficient for the survival of existing crops, but not for 
planting new crops.  The additional water assistance will be 
helpful, but it will have little impact on the Jordan Valley 
Authority's predicament -- caught between the conflicting needs of 
the municipal water and agricultural sectors.  End Summary. 
 
Israel to Help Jordan through a Dry Patch 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) With the recent winter providing less precipitation than 
expected, Jordan is preparing for a long, dry summer (ref A). 
Confirming what Ambassador and emboffs have heard in recent weeks 
from local Israeli Embassy officials, Secretary General of the 
Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) Mousa Jamani told ESTH Officer that 
Israel has agreed to lend Jordan an additional 11 million cubic 
meters (MCM) of water this summer from Lake Tiberias.  The deal was 
reportedly struck during an April 2008 visit to Israel by Raed Abu 
Saud, Jordan's Minister of Water and Irrigation. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Jamani explained that under the 1994 peace treaty, each 
year Israel provides Jordan with 25 MCM of water from Lake Tiberias 
distributed over the course of the year.  It also provides 10 MCM of 
"desalinated" water annually.  Note: Although the desalination plant 
stipulated in the peace treaty was never built, 10 MCM is provided 
under that rubric.  End Note.  Jordan, in return, is expected to 
divert 20 MCM of water from the Yarmouk River to Lake Tiberias every 
winter.  Jamani noted that during the 2007-2008 winter, Jordan was 
only able to divert 1.5 MCM of water to Israel.  Despite Jordan's 
deficit, Israel has agreed to provide it with an additional 11 MCM 
to mitigate the summer crisis, resulting, according to Jamani, in 
Jordan needing to return 9.5 MCM of water in the future. 
 
Drought Measures Severely Impact Agricultural Sector 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Jamani reiterated the GOJ policy that municipal water 
needs take priority over all other sectors.  JVA is therefore 
diverting 55 percent of all water from the Jordan Valley for 
municipal use.  Jamani complained, however, of the immense water 
losses, currently estimated at 45 percent of capacity, from leaking 
pipes as well as the lack of payment in the municipal sector, and 
how reducing these losses would relieve JVA of some of its burden. 
While Amman and other urban areas are likely to keep receiving water 
over the summer months, the agricultural sector will be severely 
affected.  Jamani noted that only 43 percent of the agricultural 
water needs in the Jordan Valley were currently being supplied, 
sufficient for the survival of existing crops, but not for planting 
new crops.  When questioned about whether any compensation would be 
paid to the farmers for their likely farming losses, an occasional 
GOJ practice, Jamani commented that no money had been set aside for 
reimbursement (ref A). 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Jamani surmised that farmers understand the reality and 
will more easily accept the tough conditions because the JVA 
maintains a regular dialogue with them.  He highlighted that the 
efficiency of Jordan's agricultural distribution network is close to 
90 percent, well above the worldwide average of 70 percent, which 
means that little water is lost in the system of canals and pipes up 
to the farm gate.  However, the water losses at the farm unit are 
inordinately high, leading to overall low water efficiency in 
 
Jordan's agricultural sector.  JVA is piloting a change in its 
distribution paradigm, and will sell water in bulk to farmer 
committees rather than to individual farmers.  Jamani expects farm 
efficiency will be improved by empowering farmer committees to be in 
charge of allocations to their members. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment: While the domestic use priority requires JVA to 
ensure sufficient supply to the municipal water utilities, JVA also 
has to face the wrath of Jordan's agricultural community which has 
an expectation of receiving adequate water supplies.  Though Jamani 
complained of the high losses in the urban sector, he did not 
mention that on-farm water management efficiency is only 40 percent, 
below the international norm for similar systems which exceeds 80 
percent.  The additional water assistance from Israel this summer 
will be helpful, but it will have little impact on JVA's 
predicament, caught between the needs of the municipal water sector 
and agricultural sector.  Given current competing demands which are 
exacerbated by low rainfall, Jordan simply lacks sufficient water to 
meet all of the country's development needs.  JVA's problems were 
evident during the 40-minute meeting, during which Jamani received 
two phone calls from high-level politicians requesting additional 
water supplies for their agricultural constituents.  End Comment. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
HALE