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Non-revenue water (NRW) is a major challenge for urban water security in Jordan. Quantifying leakage and pinpointing the location of leaks are difficult tasks in intermittent supply systems. This study aims to provide a structured analysis to determine the volume of leakage and its components in Madaba's water distribution network. The study also offers recommendations to reduce the physical losses as an important component of water losses through an infrastructure, repair, economic, awareness and pressure (IREAP) framework as a way of systematically engaging the NRW challenge in Jordan. The real loss sub-components were analysed using Burst and Background Estimates (BABE), and field records of the failures in the network. The potential impact of interventions to reduce losses were measured for efficiency/efficacy by analysing pressure management, chronic leakage detection surveys and response time minimization. The findings showed that Madaba's NRW amounted to 3.5 million m 3 in 2014, corresponding to a loss of 2.8 million USD to the utility, of which 1.7 million USD is the cost of real losses. The reported failures in Madaba accounted for 37.2% of the total volume of real losses which can be improved by enhancing response polices and asset management, while the unreported failures constituted 26.6 and 36.20%, respectively, which could be reduced by pressure management and active leakage control.

Water scarcity remains the major looming challenge that is facing Jordan. Wastewater reclamation is considered as an alternative source of fresh water in semi-arid areas with water shortage or increased consumption. In the present study, the current status of wastewater reclamation and reuse in Jordan was analyzed considering 30 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The assessment was based on the WWWTPs’ treatment processes in Jordan, the flowrates scale, and the effluents’ average total dissolved solid (TDS) contents. Accordingly, 60% of the WWTPs in Jordan used activated sludge as a treatment technology; 30 WWTPs were small scale (˂1 × 104 m3/day); and a total of 17.932 million m3 treated wastewater had low TDS (˂1000 ppm) that generally can be used in industries with relatively minimal cost of treatment. Moreover, the analysis classified the 26 million m3 groundwater abstraction by major industries in Jordanian governorates. The results showed that the reclaimed wastewater can fully offset the industrial demand of fresh water in Amman, Zarqa, and Aqaba governorates. Hence, the environmental assessment showed positive impacts of reclaimed wastewater reuse scenario in terms of water depletion (saving of 72.55 million m3 groundwater per year) and climate change (17.683 million kg CO2Eq reduction). The energy recovery assessment in the small- and medium-scale WWTPs (˂10 × 104 m3/day) revealed that generation of electricity by anaerobic sludge digestion equates potentially to an offset of 0.11–0.53 kWh/m3. Finally, several barriers and prospects were put forth to help the stakeholders when considering entering into an agreement to supply and/or reuse reclaimed water.

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Abstract:The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on Earth. It is a closed saline lake located in the middle of the Jordan Rift Valley between Lake Tiberias and the Red Sea. Its major tributaries are the Jordan River itself and the Dead Sea side wadis. The Dead Sea has a unique ecosystem and its water has curative, industrial and recreational signi®cance. The level of the Dead Sea has been continuously falling since the early 1930s at an average rate of 0 . 7 m per year. The water level, as of February 1998, is about 410 . 9 m below mean sea level. In this paper, a water balance model is developed for the Dead Sea by considering dierent hydrological components of this water balance, including precipitation, runo, evaporation and groundwater¯ow. This model is calibrated based on historical levels of the Dead Sea. Dierent scenarios are investigated, including the proposed Dead Sea±Red Sea Canal. This project is supposed to halt the shrinking of the Dead Sea and restore it to pre-1950 levels in the next century.