Water Resources in Jordan: Evolving Policies for Development, the Environment, and Conflict Resolution

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Munther J. Haddadin
Resources for the Future, 2006 - Business & Economics - 307 pages
This is the first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary book to address water policy in Jordan. Edited by the former Minister of Water and Irrigation of Jordan, with contributions by other prominent Jordanian and international water professionals, this volume covers such areas as the population-water resources equation in Jordan; institutional and legal frameworks; the data systems used for the assessment and formulation of water policy; water allocations and uses in municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors; social and environmental issues; and water conflict with Jordan's neighbors. The book is a must for readers interested in Middle East politics and the critical nature of water issues in the region. The book notes the importance of interaction with the outside world to augment water resources through trade, making the experience of Jordan relevant to other developing regions where water is scarce. It introduces the term 'shadow water' to mean the scarce indigenous water resources that the import of agricultural and industrial commodities saves or replaces. The book shows how financially profitable it can be to treat water as a tradable commodity, to be exchanged peaceably across international borders. Haddadin and his distinguished contributors bring the water conflicts between Jordan and its neighbors, Israel and Syria, into sharp focus. The book includes a historical perspective on the development of water policies in Jordan and explores the significance of water in the religious, social, and political life of the country.

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About the author (2006)

Munther J. Haddadin has held many senior level positions related to Jordanian water policy, including president and chairman of the Board of the Jordan Valley Authority from 1982 to 1987, and Minister of Water and Irrigation in Jordan from 1997 to 1998. He was a senior negotiator in Jordan's delegations to the Middle East Peace Process, within which he headed the committee on water, energy and the environment in the bilateral peace negotiations with Israel. He is currently a consultant and a courtesy professor in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University and an affiliate professor at the University of Oklahoma.