WATER WORLD
Israel sends Jordan extra water thanks to 'US pressure'
by AFP Staff Writers
Amman (AFP) April 14, 2021

Jordan, reliant on Israel for water, has obtained additional supplies from the Jewish state ahead of an expected severe drought, a development Israeli media reported was spurred by US pressure.

"We have... obtained from Israel an additional quantity of eight million cubic metres" of water, after several weeks of waiting, Omar Salameh, a spokesman for the Jordanian government's water and irrigation ministry, told AFP.

Salameh said that sufficient water supply from Israel was Jordan's "right, in accordance with the peace agreement" between the two countries reached in 1994.

Israeli media has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sought to postpone delivery of additional water in retaliation for Jordan last month stalling permission for him to overfly the country en route to the United Arab Emirates.

It reported that Jordan's request was therefore only satisfied after the US, an ally of both countries, exerted pressure on the Jewish state.

The bilateral peace agreement guarantees Jordan "55 million cubic metres of water annually" free of charge, he said. "As a general rule, in difficult years we request supplementary water, which they (Israel) agree to."

Jordan has to pay a fee of $0.40 per cubic metre of additional water, according to Israeli media.

"The rainy season this year has been very poor," Salameh said. "As a result... the kingdom faces a shortfall of between 10 and 15 million cubic metres."

An Israeli official confirmed Jordan had been granted the supplementary water it asked for, but said that Israel provides 65 million cubic metres normally, and that the surplus provided this year is three million cubic metres.

Jordan's water and irrigation ministry classifies the country as the third most "water poor" in the world.


Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

WATER WORLD
No mood to celebrate: Myanmar to snub water fight festival
Yangon (AFP) April 12, 2021
Instead of the usual water pistols, splashing and jubilant crowds during Myanmar's New Year festival of Thingyan, this year's holiday will see real guns, blood on the streets and grief over a democracy robbed. For a second year running, Myanmar's traditional Buddhist holiday period, which runs from Tuesday to Friday this week, has been disrupted. Pandemic restrictions forced the cancellation of public water fights, street parties and dance performances last year. But the February 1 military ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WATER WORLD
Human screams can convey at least six different emotions

Japan to release treated Fukushima water into the sea

Iran reports 'power failure' accident at Natanz nuclear site

Brazilian pilot survives 38 days in Amazon after crash

WATER WORLD
All-in-one device uses microwave power for defense, medicine

Fornite maker Epic Games valued at $28.7 bn in funding round

$69 million digital art buyer shines light on 'NFT' boom

EU slaps tariffs on China aluminium products

WATER WORLD
Sudan rules out armed action over Ethiopia's Nile dam

Israel sends Jordan extra water thanks to 'US pressure'

French water and waste companies agree to mega-merger

Global warming is making India's monsoon season more erratic

WATER WORLD
New study: Thick sea-ice warms Greenland fjords

Third of Antarctic ice shelf area at risk of collapse as planet warms

Scientists measure ocean currents underneath 'Doomsday Glacier'

U.S. Marines, Norwegian military hold Arctic training exercise

WATER WORLD
Adding legumes to crop rotations offers sustainability, nutritional advantages

Brazil eyes record grain harvest as China demand booms

French growers feel the pinch as cold snap wrecks crops

Tunisia 'sandy' farms resist drought, development

WATER WORLD
French volcano enthusiasts camp out to skirt curfew

UN warns that impact of Caribbean volcano could affect other islands

Seven killed after quake rocks Indonesia's Java island

Cyclone Seroja causes 'widespread damage' in Australia towns

WATER WORLD
Solar and wind power could mitigate conflict in northeast Africa

Going home or staying safe in NE Nigeria, an impossible choice

With giant swabs and grumpy camels, Kenya hunts for next deadly virus

Nigeria gunmen killed after attacking soldiers: army

WATER WORLD
S.Africa's gangster baboon comes to an untimely end

Modern human brain originated in Africa around 1.7 million years ago

Big beats: Gorilla chest thumps 'signal' body size

South African rock shelter artifacts show early humans colonized inland areas