AQUAKNIGHT 2nd International Conference

1. WATER RESOURCES
For
AQABA
,

2. Aqaba Special Economic Authority (ASEZA)
• Financially and administratively
autonomous institution responsible
of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone
(ASEZ).
• Six ministerial – level commissioners
– Headed by a Chief Commissioner
– Appointed by the Cabinet
– Report to Prime Minister
– Each responsible for major area of
regulatory or operational activity and
running the ASEZ, and other regulatory
powers which distinguish it from the
rest of Jordan

3. Aqaba City
• 107,000 inhabitants in 2010
– Result of accelerated economic
growth in region
– expected to rise to 200,000 by 2020

4. Water Resources
• Conventional Water
• Groundwater
• Surface Water
• Nonconventional Water
– Treated waste water effluent.
– Desalinated water (Brackish & Seawater)
• Regional Water
– Shared aquifers
Ram/Disi in the south
Basalt and carbonate aquifers in the north
- Shared surface water
Yermuk River
Jordan River
Peace treaty water August 1994

5. GENERALIZED HYDROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Two surface water basins are
located in the area of ASEZ.
• The Southern Wadi Araba Basin.
• Qa’a Disi Southern Desert Basin.

6. Groundwater Provinces
1. Wadi Araba Province
2. Dirreh Province
3. Wadi Al-Yutum Province

7. Wadi Araba Province
• The effective aquifer in this province is the wadi deposits
that are recharged from the rainfall events and subsequent
runoff
• The recharge rate to this province is limited due to the low
rate of rainfall and high evaporation
• The source of the moderate recharge is the side wadis
• The water quality is brackish with low to very low potential
especially from north of the Wade Al Yutum outlet up to the
borders of ASEZ.

8. Wadi Araba Province
• Small side wadis are
observed to the east where
a grate granite block occurs
• About 26 wells are drilled in
the southern portion of this
province

9. Dirreh Province
• The effective aquifer within the Dirreh Province is the alluvial
deposits.
• The groundwater potential in the Dirreh Province is classified as
a generally low to very low potential.
• Five wells were drilled in Dirreh area, which are all dry except
for one well.

10. Wadi Al-Yutum Province
• The effective aquifer in this
province is the wadi alluvium
having a thickness varying
between 90m and 200 m.
• The sources of recharge to this
province are the groundwater
lateral flow from the upstream parts
of the province, in addition to the
runoff recharge from the Wadi Al
Yutum.
• The depth to water varies between
21m and 75m.
EA1018 : WADI YUTUM OBSERVATION WELL NO.8
SOUTH WADI ARABA BASIN
PGE: 157130 PGN : 887140 ALT : 233m TD: 50m Aquifer: ALL Type: Recorder
-26
-24
-22
-20
-18
-16
-14
1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
DATE
S.W.L[M]

11. Wadi Al-Yutum Province
• Wadi Al-Yutum was the main
source for domestic water supply
• Since the year 1983 till now water
from Disi aquifer is pumped for
domestic and industrial purposes.
• The pumping started with about 6
MCM and increased to about
17 MCM .
• .

12. The Rum Group Aquifer

13. The Rum Group Aquifer
 The Rum aquifer, formerly known
as the Disi Aquifer, forms a huge
reservoir of non-renewable water. It
has the widest distribution among
the geological formations of the region
and extends far into Saudi Arabia
, Iraq and Syria but is commonly
found at great depth.
 The formations of the Rum Group
form the deepest aquifer complex
in Jordan
 The Sandstone Aquifer Complex is
widely exposed in the southern desert
, towards the Saudi Arabian border. In the rest of the country it is covered by
younger formations

14.  The Rum Group has been
subdivided into the following
formations Salib, Burj, Ajram and
Amud, is of Cambro –Ordovician age
 Consists mainly of sandstone with
few intercalations of siltstone,
mudstone, limestone and dolomite
 The thickness of the aquifer ranges
from zero in places where the
basement crops out in the southwest
to about 2,500 meters near the
north-eastern border with Iraq.

15. Groundwater Flow Pattern in the Disi
Aquifer (Rum Group)
 The Rum Group aquifer is
mainly exploited in the areas of
Disi, Shidiya, Qatrana and Al
Lajjun.
 Two faults are affecting the
groundwater flow in the southern
and south-eastern parts of the
country: The Quweira fault, and
the Kharawi dyke
 In general, the groundwater flow
in southern Jordan is directed
northwards flow direction
changes to the northwest and
eventually to the west, to the
Dead Sea
In general, the salinity of the groundwater in the
Rum Group aquifer increases from south to
north, in the direction of groundwater flow. In the
outcrop areas in the southern part of Jordan the
salinity of the water is generally very low.

16. Present Use of Disi Aquifer
 Since the year 1983 till now water from Disi aquifer is pumped for
domestic and industrial purposes.
 The pumping started with about 6 MCM and increased to about
17 MCM .

17. Present Use of Disi Aquifer
 There were four main active farming corporations, the total abstraction
amount of water was about 62 MCM in the year 1994.
 Abstraction rates went down in the year 2006 about 38 MCM due to the
implementation of the new groundwater bylaw (2002)

19. Water Supply
DISI Well
field
AQABA
City
Aqaba City is being supplied with water from 21 wells
located in Disi field, an area known that it
contains the purest
drinking water in the
Kingdom. The 65 km
Transmission pipeline
from Disi to Aqaba
ends at Main Aqaba
Reservoir.
Water network
Lengths to 880 km,
Serving 99% of
Governorate population.

20. 15.02
14.77
15.71
15.63
14.45
15.57
15.70
16.38
16.43
16.98
18.14
19.49
20.77
21.78
22.49
23.21
23.95
24.68
25.55
26.42
27.31
28.06
29.09
30.09
31.09
32.61
-
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
Fresh Water Demand Projuction
Demand

21. Water Projects
• Desalination RO plant BOT with initial capacity of 5 MCM on the
southern area.
• Desalination RO plant BOT with capacity of 95 MCM on the northern
area.
• 35 MCM will allocated to Aqaba City this project will be finished at
2019 on the first phase of Dead Read Project

22. The Result
• The demand for water is increasing continuously,
due to:
• Population growth rate of 3.6% /y.
• The intensive Development within ASEZ
• The new projects (large or small scale)
We have to remember
• We are using nonrenewable source (Disi water)
• In the future we need to find a nonconventional resource.
• Sustainable management and water sector planning for our
resources are needed.