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2007

Jordan River – Research Report

ISM
By Firas A.
07.03.2007
Firas A. ISM IB2 – A 06/07

‫( ن هر األرد ن‬Jordan River) Research Report


Before the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea it flows through the Great Rift Valley.
Located in southwest Asia the Jordan River is regarded to be one of the most sacred rivers
worldwide. However, the exact context and meaning of the ambiguous word “sacred” is not
established yet.

The Jordan has been measured to be 251 km long. The four tributaries listed below merge
and finally form the Jordan in the northern part of Israel.1

1. The Hasbani, flowing from Lebanon.


2. The Banias, from Mount Hermon.
3. The Dan, from Mount Hermon.
4. The Ayoun, from Lebanon.

In a 73 km run the Jordan River drops to swampy Lake Hula, which is slightly below sea
level in the Galilee Sea. In the last section of the Jordan River a remarkable decline in the
gradient can be noticed. Before it enters the Dead Sea it meanders significantly, as seen on
the map on page 6 and two major tributaries enter from the east: Jabbok River and the
Yarmouk River. The Dead Sea is around 400 meters below sea level. It should be mentioned
that one of its properties is the absence of an outlet.

Annual discharge of the headwater rivers of the upper Jordan

River Riparian states Flow (million m³)


Mean Range
Dan Israel 245 173-285
Hasbani Lebanon 138 52-236
Banias Syria/Israel 121 63-190
TOTAL 504 298 - 711

1
Please note: for the sake of clarity very clear and detailed maps of the Jordan River Basin have been included in the last pages.

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Firas A. ISM IB2 – A 06/07

The section of the Jordan River which is north of the Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is
within the boundaries of Syria. However, these boundaries are disputed by Israel. The
border between the Kingdom of Jordan (to the east) and the West Bank (to the west) is
formed by the south of the lake.

In 1964 Israel began operating a dam that diverts water from the Sea of Galilee, a major
Jordan River water provider, to the national water carrier, according to Hillel Glassmam, a
stream “expert” at Israel's Parks Authority. Also in 1964 Jordan constructed a channel that
diverted water from the Yarmouk River, another main tributary of the Jordan River. This
and other actions taken by Israel, resulted in great damage to the ecosystem. Syria has also
built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. In a year, the Yarmouk's flow into the
Jordan River will diminish significantly, once Syria and Jordan begin operating a dam they
jointly built, he added. Environmentalists blame Israel, Jordan and Syria. The three countries
replenished the river with sewage water, agricultural runoff and salt water, Glassman said.2

Summing up the above mentioned water projects:

The freshwater “foliage” that once flourished along the river's banks has been replaced with
saline vegetation. Thus one can say that there is a main problem with regards to water
scarcity. The following table gives a nice overview and future projections: 3

2
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_river
3
Source: http://www.greencrossinternational.net/GreenCrossPrograms/waterres/pdf/WFP_Jordan.pdf

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Firas A. ISM IB2 – A 06/07

“In the year 2000, the per capita water resource potentials in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine
were 250 m3, 234 m3 and 115 m3, respectively, placing the countries in the bottom 20
percent of the world water poverty scale.”4

In modern times the waters are 70 to 90% used for human purposes and the flow is much
reduced. Because of this and the high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea, the sea is shrinking.
All the shallow waters of the southern end of the sea have been drained in modern times
and are now salt flats.

There is a problem with contamination: just downstream, raw sewage is flowing into the
water. Small sections of the Jordan's upper portion, near the Sea of Galilee, have been kept
pristine for baptisms. Most polluted is the 60-mile downstream stretch - a meandering
stream from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. Environmentalists say the practice has
almost destroyed the river's ecosystem. Rescuing the river could take decades, according to
environmentalists. Raw Sewage Taints Sacred Jordan River.

The waters of the Jordan are an extremely important resource to the dry lands of the area
and are a bone of contention between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians.

Route 90 connects the northern and southern tips of Israel and parallels the Jordan River on
the western side.

Political Issues involved

Devoting one paragraph to the political importance of the Jordan River is definitely worth
the effort as the Jordan River has been politically important for decades and a major source
of several conflicts. The Jordan River has a special role in keeping clear borders between the
countries, due to its location. The whole year the Jordan is said to carry plenty of water. For
Israel the Jordan is a major source for drinking water. Other countries in the neighborhood
such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) also demand a sufficient share of the water. Looking at
the relationship between Israel and Jordan, the Jordan River can be said to have actually
contributed to the peace between these two countries. One of the main points that were
stated in the peace agreement from 26th of October 1994 was that the Jordan would be
allowed to extract larger amounts of water from the Jordan River. However, looking at the
relationship between Israel and Syria, it seems that the Jordan River has further contributed
to even more conflicts. Israel is permanently concerned about Syria. They fear that Syria

4
Source: http://www.greencrossinternational.net/GreenCrossPrograms/waterres/pdf/WFP_Jordan.pdf

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Firas A. ISM IB2 – A 06/07

might cut their water supply, which is one of the main reasons why Israel is not returning
the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.

Please note: for the sake of clarity very clear and detailed maps of the Jordan River Basin
have been included in the following pages.

In the picture above it is clearly visible how the increased extraction of water and high temperatures affect the Jordan
River. More economic growth and growing populations will also increase the need of water from Sea of Galilee.
Therefore, the Jordan River is expected to carry even less water in the future, with the drastic consequences this will
have on the Dead Sea.

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The map below is the same as on the previous page, but “zoomed in” to the area that
matters: the Jordan River Basin.

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1000 Words

Sources:

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80858e/80858E06.htm
http://www.ppl.nl/bibliographies/all/?bibliography=water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_river
http://maps.google.com/
http://www.iwrm-smart.org/
http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80858e/80858E06.htm

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