It is late September and a powerful sun beats down on the Sea of Galilee. At its edge lies a baking Tiberias, home to a young population that is fast rising above 50,000. Tiberias is not an exception – population levels are on the up throughout the Jordan basin. In neighbouring Syria, year on year growth is continuing at a steady 2%. Jordan currently stands 11th in the world for population growth rate – narrowly edged out of the top ten by a particularly prolific Palestine.
Admittedly, these statistics are fairly unremarkable. Population growth is a global issue and the Middle-East is hardly the worst offending region. Nevertheless, it is already beginning to feel the pinch of stretched resources. In an area famed for the paucity of its rainfall, demand for water is beginning to outstrip supply.
The River Jordan flows down from the high mountains of southern Lebanon, through the Sea of Galilee before reaching the end of its journey as it pours into the Dead Sea. It crudely marks the border of variously Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Consequently, this is a river that bears the unusual responsibility of feeding five nations, something which it is increasingly struggling to do.
Considering its value to the region, the governments of the Jordan basin have been puzzlingly heavy-handed in their efforts at damming and diverting the river. Between them, the five countries extract over 75% of its waters – with visible effects. The Dead Sea has dropped almost 30 metres in 50 years, and this trend shows little sign of relenting.
The difficulty of shared resources is by no means unique. From disputes over fishing quotas to the global trade in carbon credits, environmental threats are keenly felt by nations the world over. However, when it comes to rivers, the precedents do not bode well. In 2009, Egypt was involved in legal wrangling with its fellow Nile states over water rights. In a bid to protect its interests, Egypt sought a legal injunction against the nations of the Upper Nile and refused to ratify a treaty aimed at sharing the river’s resources more evenly. Some labelled this belligerence, others pointing to Egypt’s large population as justification for its tough stance.
Either way, ad hoc and reactionary behaviour carries little currency when dealing with such intractable situations. Measured diplomacy led five of the nine Nile nations to broker a deal between themselves and only by adopting such an approach can Egypt hope to gain a result that satisfies both itself and the others in the region.
If anything can be learnt from this, it is that a spirit of cooperation is key to ensuring future access for all. In the case of the River Jordan this is understandably difficult. However, allowing political antipathy and individualist concerns to exacerbate what is after all a mutual crisis would be short-sighted at best, suicidal at worst. More appropriate would be to forge agreements on water usage. The sharing of dams would be a good place to start. Similarly, setting up a forum for technological exchange would only enhance the ability of all parties to cope with plummeting water levels. Israel’s hydroponic farming techniques are at the forefront of environmental science but the benefits of these technological advances are severely diminished if such knowledge is withheld from its partners on the river.
Tiberias appears to be a town oblivious to the drain that it causes on resources. Manicured lawns and hotels with swimming pools display an environmental profligacy that could rival Las Vegas. Instilling the residents with an austerity mentality may be an uphill battle but it is one that needs to be fought.
Human experience warns against holding out for a panacea. It is both unreasonable and unrealistic to expect five countries simultaneously to turn off the tap. As supply drops, some farmland will inevitably dry up, driving higher unemployment and shrinking agricultural economies. Faced with such a stark situation, regional politics seems trivial. Of greater importance are restraint and responsibility, not just from governments but from the region’s inhabitants. A number of steps can be taken to alleviate the impending crisis: farmers need to be incentivised to grow less water intensive strains of crops; family planning needs to be emphasised, and the growth of towns needs to be checked. Responsible, concerted efforts to address these issues could yet see the region through.
Dry times indeed for the River Jordan…
by Alexander Lewis
THE ARABIST MAGAZINE 