Editor-in-chiEf: Francesca de Châtel, 41, is a journalist, editor and author specializing in water issues in the Arab world and Mediterranean region. She is based in The Netherlands. WritErs: Rasha Faek, 34, is a Syrian journalist living in Jordan where she works as the managing editor of Al Fanar Media. Yasmin Pascual Khalil, 23, is an Egyptian/ Filipino chemical engineer and freelance science journalist based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Malak Makki, 31, is a Lebanese journalist. She works as a science editor at newspaper in Beirut. Berkan Ozyer, 27, is a Turkish journalist based in Istanbul. He works for EKOIQ, a monthly magazine that focuses on sustainability and the green economy. Sedeer el-Showk, 35, is a Finnish/ Lebanese freelance science writer with a degree in biology. He lives in Morocco.
coordinator: Stuart Reigeluth, 35, is founder of Revolve Media, a communications company fostering cultures of sustainability. He is based in Brussels, Belgium. Graphic dEsiGn: Ghalia Lababidi translation: Qais Fares, Waseem Abdo acknoWlEdGEmEnts Revolve Media is grateful to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) for facilitating the media training workshop ‘Water Scarcity in Jordan and the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan’ that was held between 18 and 22 May, 2015. In particular we would like to acknowledge the support of Ismael Nouns of GIZ and Adnan al-Zoubi of the MWI who made this workshop possible on very short notice. Special thanks as well to Sameer AbdelJabbar, Ruby Assad, Bettina Fackelmann,
View of the village of Dogara. Source: Francesca de Chatel
Omar Khassawneh, Luma Mikhi, Suha Moghrabi, Lina Nalshik, Thomas Schneider, Juliana Turjman, Björn Zimprich, Anoud alZoubi and staff at the Wild Jordan Café. The Revolve Media training workshop in Amman (18-21 May 2015) and this special report were made possible with the generous support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Contents
| 04 francesca de châtel & stuart reigeluth
| 06 sedeer el-showk visits a training center in northern Jordan where women are learning to be plumbers so they can repair leaks and reduce domestic water waste.
| 12 Berkan ozyer meets Islamic scholars and water experts to discuss whether the teachings of Islam can help solve Jordan’s water crisis.
| 18 Yasmin pascual khalil & francesca de châtel travel to villages in northern Jordan where despite acute water shortages residents continue
| 24 rasha faek & malak makki spend a day at one of Amman’s overcrowded public schools where the breakdown of water supply and sanitary facilities is affecting the teaching process.
CONTENTS | 3
Editorial: Addressing Jordan’s Water Crisis Writers: Francesca de Châtel & Stuart Reigeluth
A regional challenge Jordan is one of the most waterstressed countries in the world. Even before the Syrian refugee crisis, domestic users received water only once a week. Rapid population growth over the last 50 years as a result of the successive influx of refugees from across the region has placed great pressure on the water resources in the Hashemite Kingdom. Annual water availability has decreased from 3,600 cubic meters per person in 1946 to just 140 cubic meters in 2008. The influx of more than 628,000 Syrian refugees since 2011 has further stretched water reserves, reducing annual availability to 128 cubic meters per person. While this report focuses on water scarcity in Jordan, the
4 | EDITORIAL
challenge of access to fresh water increasingly affects the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Fourteen of the world’s most water-scarce countries are located in the MENA region where water availability continues to decrease at an alarming rate. According to the UN, by 2025 the region’s water supply will be only 15% of what it was in 1960. Despite this growing challenge, many water users in the region and beyond remain unaware of the urgency of the situation. This is where media can play an important role: first of all by telling the story of communities who struggle with water shortage on a daily basis; and secondly by ensuring that local and global audiences receive a balanced and nuanced image of the realities on the ground, without sensationalizing or misrepresenting this regional crisis.
Environmental media skills Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), the media training workshop ‘Water Scarcity in Jordan and the Syrian Refugee Crisis’ that was held in Amman in May 2015 aimed to give young journalists from the MENA region a better insight into the water situation in Jordan and the impact of growing water shortages on different communities across the country. Revolve Media invited journalists from Morocco, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria to join their Jordanian counterparts for four intensive days of reporting. The Jordanian government is developing short- and long-term responses to meet the rising water
demand – seeking new sources of water and encouraging citizens to reduce wastage. But as Adnan alZoubi, the spokesperson for the MWI, said during the workshop: “We have reached the level where people can’t reduce their consumption any further.” On average, domestic users in Jordan consume less than 80 liters per day, compared to 375 liters in the U.S. and 200 liters in Europe. Therefore the Jordanian government has launched several initiatives to “teach users how to get by with the small amount of water they get each week”. Workshop participants reported on some of these initiatives to improve water use efficiency in society and other projects designed to meet the rising water demand despite acute shortage. This report contains a selection of the articles that were produced as part of the workshop, with a focus on target groups
that the MWI is working with: schools, women, communities hosting large number of Syrian refugees and religious leaders. As one of the participants journalists said: “As an outsider, one cannot imagine what it is like when there is no water. In
this sense, the workshop was an eye-opening experience.” We hope that this report can also be an eyeopener and give readers a glimpse of how water scarcity affects people on every level of society and how they seek solutions to cope with new environmental realities in this arid region.
Syrian refugees in Jordan t
Number of registered Syrian refugees: 628,000
t
17% or about 100,000 refugees living in three camps: Zaatari, Emirati Jordanian Camp, Azraq; about 100,000 registered refugees living in camps
t
83% or 520,700 refugees living outside of camps in host communities
t
26% women
t
52% children, of which 17% are under the age of 5
Sources: UNHCR, May 2015. EDITORIAL | 5
on the women’s plumbing course in Irbid watch their classmate cut a pipe. Source: Sedeer el-Showk. 6Students | BIOFUELS
Fixing Water Shortages at Home Writer: Sedeer el-Showk
Chronic water shortage “All problems in the home, whether electricity, water, or other issues, are the woman’s responsibility to deal with,” says Reem Ahmed, a housewife and mother. “The woman is the pillar of the home and we want to know how to fix any problems that may arise.”
In its search for a solution to the worsening water crisis, the Jordanian government is reaching out to women to help conserve water and change how it is used.
Reem Ahmed is one of 26 women who signed up to the women’s plumbing course in the Hakama district of Irbid, Jordan’s second city. The students hope to find work and improve their family’s life, but the organizers of the course have a more ambitious goal. Sponsored by he German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the class is part of a larger effort to address Jordan’s chronic water shortage.
While many of its neighbors struggle with political instability or military conflict, Jordan finds itself facing an ongoing crisis of a different kind. A vast expanse of desert, the Hashemite Kingdom is among the poorest and least secure countries in the world in terms of water. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), each resident of Jordan gets an average of only 128 cubic meters of fresh water per year – roughly one-twentieth of the volume of an Olympic swimming pool. By comparison, the average European has access to nearly 9,000 cubic meters per year. Faced with a chronic water shortage exacerbated by the influx of refugees from Palestine, Syria and Iraq, the Jordanian government has turned to international donors for aid. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations fund
WOMEN | 7
and support a variety of projects to help cope with the lack of water, from improving the supply network to training in water conservation practices. “We have reached the level where people can’t reduce their consumption any further,” says Adnan al-Zoubi, the spokesman of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. “Our philosophy now is to teach them how to make do with the small amount of water they get each week.” With the help of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German development agency, the ministry plans to communicate its message to the Jordanian people through eight ‘multipliers’ that are key sectors in society which can help spread the message. In addition to university students, religious leaders, farmers and journalists, the program, which is being implemented on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, enlists women, a decision which may turn out to have consequences beyond merely changing habits of water use.
Agents of change Traditional family structures in Jordan put women at the heart of the household. Housewives are the
8 | WOMEN
Teacher Iman al-Abadi helps a student on the women’s plumbing course in Irbid as she practices using a pipe cutter. Source: Sedeer el-Showk.
end users and key decision-makers in domestic water issues. “Women are at the center of whatever issues there are regarding household water. Management, use, control – it’s all done by women,” says Ruby Assad, a GIZ consultant working on the project. They also raise and educate the next generation,
making them a uniquely powerful motor for changing society’s relationship with water. In 2007, the ministry launched the Water Wise Women’s initiative in an effort to involve women as agents of change in water issues. The goal was to train a network of
women in water awareness, watersaving techniques and improved hygiene. The women would then teach others, raising awareness and improving water use behavior in their communities. Since its inception, the network has grown to include nearly 200 women spread across Jordan, and continues to expand. “We need women to learn everything about water inside the home and to train other women, too,” says al-Zoubi.
which supplies water to four governorates in the north of Jordan, claims that, on average, nearly half of the water it produces in Irbid is lost to leakage, although this includes leaks in the delivery infrastructure and households as well as illegal connections. According to Joumana al-Ayad of Miyahuna, another water company operating in the area of Greater Amman, at least 25% of customer billing complaints result from undetected water leaks in household plumbing.
I feel younger. And self-confident – that’s probably the biggest change. I’m really selfconfident now. I feel like I’m contributing to society.
In many cases, water leaks are not dealt with promptly. Conservative values prohibit women from interacting with men without a male family member present; since plumbers are traditionally men, housewives are forced to wait for a male relative to deal with the leak. During her work on the Water Wise Women’s initiative, Assad estimated that 80% of the households she surveyed suffered sustained leaks because of this problem, leading to additional water losses. GIZ therefore approached Jordan’s Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) to establish a plumbing training course for women, which would enable them to solve problems in their own home and to work as professional plumbers.
- Iman al-Abadi, teacher of the women’s plumbing course
Trouble at home Al-Zoubi also encourages housewives to reduce the amount of water lost to leakage – a major problem in this water-poor country. The Yarmouk Water Company,
The proposal initially met with some misgivings; VTC was concerned that people might not accept the new idea and
raised practical issues, such as male plumbers teaching female students. To allay these concerns, GIZ invited Brigitte Schlichting, a plumber from Berlin, to teach a pilot course. “Bit by bit, VTC got interested,” says Assad, and eventually the project went ahead. “We were surprised by how well people accepted the idea and by the demand for the course,” says Ahmad al-Shatnawi, director of the VTC institute in Hakama, where the plumbing course is now taught. “We’ve had to refuse many women who wanted to join and put them on a waiting list in case the course is organized again.”
Studying solutions Alaa Abulheija did not know what to expect from the course after her father signed her up. “When I first came, I thought ‘What am I doing here?’” she says. “But the teachers encouraged me, and I’ve enjoyed the course a lot. We do everything ourselves now. I go to the neighbor’s house and fix their taps and repair their water leaks.” During the course, the women learn basic household plumbing, from fixing leaks to installing a sink. The classroom is divided into a lecture area and a workshop where the students can apply what they have learned. A cluttered tool bench
WOMEN | 9
stands against one wall, and the workshop is dotted with toilets and sinks the students have mounted or are practicing on. “It’s a handson course,” says al-Shatnawi. “The students have to repeat the basics until they reach a point where they can work by themselves.” The students call out answers and ask questions. During the practical sessions, the women, all wearing a hijab or niqab, eagerly await their turn – in this case, to cut and ream a pipe. The room is filled with their discussions, punctuated by applause each time a student finishes a task. When the class breaks for coffee, several of the women want to tell “Miss Ruby” about their latest project, while others chat among themselves or review together over a short length of pipe. The students are already applying the acquired skills during the first month. Abulheija has already repaired the plumbing in her family’s home and fixed their neighbor’s water leaks. The students also learn about water conservation, which Abulheija says has changed how she uses water in the house: “I’m doing things I didn’t know how to do before. Now, I have strength and willpower, and I’m comfortable talking to people.” Reem Ahmed shares the feeling that the course has changed her life: “It’s completely different now,” she says. “The teachers showed us that
10 | WOMEN
it isn’t wrong for a woman to take a risk and work in this profession.” She tells stories about how she has used what she’s learned and is eager to apply for support to start her own business, an opportunity announced at the end of the day’s course. Asked whether she would like her daughters to take a similar course, she immediately replied, “Absolutely, there’s nothing wrong with it!”
Pioneering progress Two graduates from the pilot program teach the course with Schlichting. Tahani al-Shati remembers their unusual reception when they first started working as plumbers: “There were people who would ask us to come and fix things just because they wanted to know if we could really do it – and they would pay us!” Since then, people have grown accustomed to the idea of women plumbers, a change al-Shati is proud to have helped bring about. Iman al-Abadi, the other teacher, is a confident woman with a soft voice. “Everyone prefers to work with women,” she says. Rather than using her husband as an imperfect go-between with a male plumber, “the housewife can show us exactly where the problem is and tell us about it directly. She knows more about the problem because she’s more involved.”
Both are founding members of the women’s plumbing cooperative established last year to keep the women plumbers safe and to increase customer confidence. The cooperative is lobbying for VTC to arrange an advanced plumbing course for women. “The master plumber degree is more advanced and gives you more options,” says al-Abadi. “I hope
Teachers Tahani al-Shati (left) and Iman al-Abadi (right) are both founding members of the women’s plumbing cooperative that was established last year in Irbid. Source: Sedeer el-Showk.
they’ll consider our suggestion and arrange an advanced course in the coming months.” In the meantime, the cooperative is pursuing plans to buy equipment for cleaning water tanks – a project which will increase their income and benefit customers. “We want to buy three machines, one for Irbid, one for Kafrein and
one for Amman,” says al-Shati. “And we want to train these women [the students] to use it. We want them to benefit from it.” The women’s plumbing course focuses on direct, tangible results, but its bottom-up approach may lead to broader, longer-lasting changes. By turning obstacles into opportunities, the program has
created a space for these women to transform their community, their lives and themselves. “I feel younger,” says al-Abadi. “And self-confident – that’s probably the biggest change. I’m really self-confident now. I feel like I’m contributing to society.”
We do everything ourselves now. I go to the neighbor’s house and fix their taps and repair their water leaks. – Alaa Abulheija, student
A young Jordanian performs wudu at the Al Nour Mosque in Amman. Source: Sahem Rababah.
The Value of Water in
Islam Writer: Berkan Ozyer
Limiting water waste Religious scholars can play an important role in teaching citizens about the value of water and how to use it more sparingly and efficiently, but can they provide a solution to Jordan’s water scarcity?
Combining an arid climate, high population growth and limited natural water reserves, Jordan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. The annual average water availability per person has dropped from 3,600 cubic meters in 1946 to 145 cubic meters in 2008 – a fraction of the 9,000 cubic meters that U.S. citizens have at their disposal. The conflict in Syria and the influx of more than 628,000 Syrian refugees since 2011 has put further pressure on the country’s scarce water resources, with annual water availability dropping to around 128 cubic meters per person since 2011.
The average Jordanian knows that the country’s water supplies are limited: scarcity is tangible almost on a daily basis in many towns and villages – particularly during the hot summer months. Jordanian households receive eight hours of running water a week or less, making careful use and preservation essential. Still, the Jordanian government and several NGOs are constantly working to raise awareness of the value of water and to encourage water savings in every area of life. They say that religion is one of the most effective ways of convincing users not to waste water.
ISLAM | 13
The role of Islam “Water plays a central role in Islam,” says Professor Abdel Majid al-Salahin, the dean of the Department of Islamic Jurisprudence at the University of Jordan. “The word ‘water’ is mentioned more than 60 times in the Quran and there are also many references to rain, snow and ice. Moreover, the Quran clearly condemns the wasting of water.” He gives the example of the hadith (a saying of the Prophet Mohammed) in which the Prophet
Mohammad sees one of his companions, Saad, performing the ritual ablution wudu that is required before prayer. As Saad is using a lot of water, the Prophet Mohammed asks him: “Why are you wasting water like this?” Saad is surprised and asks whether it is possible to waste water during wudu. To this the Prophet responds that one must never waste water, even on the banks of a flowing river. Salahin says teachings like these and others can help make people more aware of the importance of water saving. “Jordanians are very receptive to everything that is related to religion – people here are religious by nature,”
he says. “And when you talk to people about water in a religious context and quote passages from the Quran, they are more easily convinced.”
Passing on the message The Jordanian government has long acknowledged the important role that Islam can play in spreading awareness of sustainable water use, encouraging imams to incorporate teachings from the Quran and the ahadith in their Friday sermons. Female religious scholars or waithat – graduates with a university degree in Islamic
The Al Jinan Quranic Center in Amman provides regular lectures about Islam, the environment and water for women and children. Source: Sahem Rababah.
Studies who follow additional training – also teach women about the value of water in Islam and how they can apply this to daily water use in the household. Alham Alatala works as a waithah at Al Jinan Quranic Center in the Marka district of Amman, where she teaches women and children about different aspects of Islam and its practice. “We give lectures on many topics such as drug abuse, education, crime, but also water awareness,” she says. The center has a range of activities around the theme of water: it has published booklets about the importance of saving water for children, there are sessions in which older women show younger women traditional ways of saving water, and sometimes they even organize dish-washing competitions to see who can use the least water. “One of our basic aims is to teach children about the value of water. The Quran says that God made all living things from water and this is a very important message for us here at the center and in Jordan in general.”
Professor Odeh al-Jayyousi teaches imams and waithats about the link between Islam and sustainability during a GIZ workshop in May 2015. Source: Sahem Rababah.
Irrational behavior Such teachings have been repeated for many years in mosques and learning centers across Jordan, but can they really change people’s behavior? “The tradition of saving water is there, but it is not reflected in practice,” says Professor Odeh al-Jayyousi, a specialist in the domain of Islam and sustainable development. “I have a neighbor who is a heart surgeon, and he smokes. This illustrates the disconnect between knowledge and practice. Sometimes we act irrationally. We know this is right, nevertheless we don’t abide by it.”
A recent study by the Water Authority of Jordan shows that water use in the household remains relatively irrational: the study found that only 5% of domestic water is used for drinking and cooking purposes, while 45% is used in bathrooms and for the irrigation of gardens. There is therefore considerable scope for increasing water use efficiency. Policy-makers at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation believe that the teachings of Islam can contribute to raising such awareness. With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and working
The Quran says that God made all living things from water and this is a very important message for us here at the center and in Jordan in general. - Alham Alatala, waithah at Al Jinan Quranic Center in Amman ISLAM | 15
with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the ministry launched a three-year project in January 2015 to train approximately 1,000 imams and waithat effective ways of engaging their community in water saving and awareness. In addition, a teaching unit for religious studies will be developed at public universities and three large ‘pilot’ mosques will be turned into ‘water-plus-mosques’ and equipped with rainwater harvesting and water reuse facilities. The Abu Ubaidah Mosque in the Jordan Valley is the first example of such a mosque where water is being reused.
Smart discourse
Abdel Majid al-Salahin, University of Jordan Source: Sahem Rababah.
Jordanians are very receptive to everything that is related to religion. When you talk to people about water through religion, they are more easily convinced. - Abdel Majid al-Salahin, University of Jordan
16 | ISLAM
Al-Jayyousi often contributes to workshops to teach imams and waithat about the link between Islam, water and sustainability. He says that the teachings of Islam could guide believers towards a more sustainable lifestyle, but that most imams lack the technical background to impart such teachings. “There are around 7,000 mosques in Jordan, but many imams don’t have the proper educational foundation to be able to address issues like water scarcity.” He emphasizes the importance of providing a discourse that connects Islam to the realities of the 21st century. “You cannot talk about religious discourse while
ignoring environmental realities like climate change, economic realities like oil prices and without understanding political relations.” Al-Jayyousi says that once imams make the connection between the teachings of Islam and sustainability they can create their own “smart discourse” and go beyond just quoting passages from the Quran. “The Quran relates the story of when Moses chose 12 springs and instructed each tribe to go to one spring. This is effectively an example of decentralized water management. When they hear this, many imams say they didn’t realize that a modern theme such as decentralization is addressed in Islam.” There are, however, limits to what religious leaders can achieve because of current economic and educational levels. Imams in Jordan are employed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and earn very low wages. “They live barely above the poverty line,” says Jayyousi. “You cannot expect a beautiful discourse from people if they are hungry.” He gives the example of imams who have participated in training courses who ask whether they can take the pen that is handed out to them at the start of the course home for their children. “This says a lot,” says Jayyousi. “You can’t expect people to be innovative, to educate and cultivate themselves if they have to worry about the cost of a pen.”
Leakage and theft Religion is also being used to reinforce water legislation: in 2013, a fatwa was issued prohibiting water theft and other abuse of water resources and networks. It states that violating water resources and random well drilling threaten drinking water reserves, which is a shared right for all people. Still, water theft through illegal connections remains a serious problem in Jordan, together with network leakages. According to a 2014 Mercy Corps report, 50% of
the water that is pumped through the state network annually is lost to leakage and theft. Of this, 76 billion liters is lost to leakage – enough to satisfy the needs of 2.6 million people a year, nearly a third of Jordan’s current population. Illegal well drilling also remains a problem. While religion may convince people to use water more efficiently, it alone cannot solve the problem of water scarcity in Jordan in the long term. In the end, problems of network leakage, theft, outdated infrastructure and illegal well drilling form a much greater threat to the country’s water reserves.
Water in Islam The word “water” appears 63 times in the Quran. One of the five mandatory acts or pillars in Islam is salat (prayer), which is carried out five times a day. Before salat, the believer is supposed to perform the small ablution, wudu. The Quran and the ahadith go into great detail about wudu and how much water the believer should use for each of its components. Muslims are required to perform the Friday midday prayer, salat al-jumah, in the mosque with the congregation. It is preceded by a sermon, the khutbah, during which the imam focuses on a specific theme. This is an important occasion to deliver messages about water saving. The mauda (ablution fountain) is a central feature of each mosque, placed strategically for believers to perform wudu before prayer. ISLAM | 17
Sharing a Scarce Resource Writers: Yasmin Pascual Khalil & Francesca de Châtel
Wasteful guests “The water problem in Jordan goes back a long time,” says Abdallah Manawakh, a resident of Zahr, a village in Irbid governorate near the Syrian border. Manawakh and a small group of neighbors have gathered at the home of Abed Abo Radwan, and an animated discussion is underway about the acute water shortage in the village. “The problem was there before the Syrians came,” Manawakh continues. “It’s been there for 20 years.” He explains that the pipeline that supplies the 40 houses in the neighborhood is less than four inches in diameter, too narrow to meet demand. Moreover, according to Salem Shlul, an engineer from the Yarmouk Water
18 | HOST COMMUNITIES
Company (YWC) who has joined the discussion, the pipes are corroded because they are more than 50 years old. As a result, tap water is often rusty or muddy. “And then on top of it we got the Syrian refugee crisis!” says Manawakh. His neighbor Ahmed Hassan Abdallah chimes in: “The Syrians, my friend, back home they used ten times more water than the Jordanians. And they can’t believe that we don’t have water here, so they continue using water the way they did back home. It’s an unbelievable situation!” The men say that the village, which had around 9,000 inhabitants in 2010, has taken in about 5,000 Syrians since the start of the conflict there. “I rented my place
Despite acute water shortages and rising water prices, residents of towns and villages in northern Jordan still welcome their Syrian neighbors.
View from the village of Dogara. Source: Francesca de Ch창tel.
to a Syrian family and I provided them with 5 cubic meters of water that week,” says Manawakh. “That amount of water would last me ten days but they ran out after three days.” There have even been water cuts in the mosque as Syrians started using the taps in the mosque to wash themselves. “Whatever you say, there is no way to describe how badly Syrians use water,” says Abdallah. But in the end, while everyone agrees that the Syrians are negatively affecting the already scarce water supplies in the village, the men welcome the refugees. “We do get upset about how they handle water, but they are still our guests,” says Ahmed. “So even if we have disagreements, it never lasts long.”
Their wives, who join the conversation, agree. “The Syrians are happy here,” says Manawakh’s wife Aisha. “Their presence has obviously put pressure on the country’s limited resources but overall, we are happy that they are here. There is no reason to hold grudges, if they show me kindness, I welcome them.”
Working under pressure Already before the Syrian refugee crisis, Jordan was one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. Rapid population growth as a result of the successive influx of refugees from Palestine and Iraq had put huge pressure on the water resources in this arid country. The influx of 628,000 Syrian refugees
Mahmoud Abu Libdo, the mukhtar show he is directly descended from the Prophet Mohammed. Source: Yasmin Pascual Khalil.
since 2011 further stretched the water reserves, particularly in the northern governorates of Irbid, Mafraq, Ajloun and Jarash where the majority of the Syrian refugees have settled. Zaatari Refugee Camp, which has become the fourth-largest city in Jordan since its establishment in July 2012, is built on a large aquifer and experts have warned that the absence of adequate wastewater treatment facilities in the camp threatens the quality of this important water resource. However, 85% of Syrian refugees have settled outside of Jordan’s four refugee camps, in cities and villages among Jordanian host communities. This has placed great pressure on services and infrastructure. For example, the population of the town of Mafraq, 10km from the Syrian border, has doubled since 2011, growing from 80,000 inhabitants in 2010 to nearly 160,000 today.
Maintaining a kind relationship between people – reconciliation – is very important. It is as important as praying and fasting. - Mahmoud Abu Libdo, mukhtar of Al Henine
“We have been working under pressure for the past three years,” says Mohammed al-Rababaa’h, the general manager of the YWC, which supplies water to the four northern governorates. “We are pressed on water and sewage services. People need to be served, but it is a huge challenge. Jordan has water for a population of about two million inhabitants. So how are we meant to cope with a population of eight million?”
One hour a week In the village of Dogara, 5km north of Zahr, the water situation is even worse. “We get water through the municipal network for about one hour a week,” says Mohammed Aysa Shlul, a resident in his 60s who has lived in the village all his life. “For the last three weeks we haven’t had any water at all, so we are forced to buy expensive water from private tanker trucks.”
“Water is one of the most basic human needs,” says Shlul. “We can make do without rice or other food, but not water. As a citizen of this country, I expect the government to provide me with this basic need: water.” Other villagers agree that Dogara needs a new well to
improve water supply in the village. Salem Shlul from the YWC – Mohammed Aysa’s cousin – says that while there are plans for a new well, it will be useless if the entire water network, which dates back to 1978, is not replaced first.
Percentage of municipal water supply lost to network leakage and illegal connections in different governorates in Jordan. Source: MWI, 2013.
Jordan average 48%
According to Shlul, the problem started seven years ago when the local authorities installed a sewage system and cut into the main network by mistake without ever repairing it. As a result, most of the municipal water supply is lost to leakage. Villagers say they have repeatedly called the central YWC customer care number, but operators just tell them there is a technical problem and that “they are working on it”.
HOST COMMUNITIES | 21
View of the King Talal Dam, Jordan. Source: Yasmin Pascual Khalil.
Jordan has water for a population of about two million inhabitants. So how are we meant to cope with a population of eight million? - Mohammed al-Rababaa’h, Yarmouk Water Company
But Mohammed Aysa has lost faith in the government. “They have been promising a solution for years, but nothing happens,” he says bitterly. “These days you need wasta (good connections) to get more water or to get problems fixed.” The
village,
which
22 | HOST COMMUNITIES
had
a
population of about 15,000 inhabitants in 2010, has also taken in about 6,000 Syrian refugees, but overall villagers are much more unhappy about the government’s failure to provide a reliable water supply than about the added pressure from refugees.
Reconciliation Back in Irbid, Jordan’s second city, which has absorbed an estimated 180,000 Syrian refugees since 2011, the problem of water shortage and conservation is also a topic of everyday conversation. In the district of Al Henine, a group of men
has gathered to discuss the water situation at the house of Mahmoud Abu Libdo, the local mukhtar (head of the neighborhood). “The water shortage has been a problem for six or seven years,” says Abu Libdo, “It’s not new. But it got worse when the Syrians came.” The neighborhood gets about three hours of water a week, enough to collect 0.5-1 cubic meter of water in the rooftop storage tank that each household has. When that runs out, the YWC provides water through tanker trucks free of charge.
“We collaborate with each other; we either all have water or we all have nothing,” says Abu Libdo’s neighbor Ahmed, who owns an apartment block in which there are six apartments, three of them occupied by Syrian families. The building uses one shared water tank, which is unusual in Jordan, but according to Ahmed it works out to be cheaper and there is no resentment between residents. Residents of Al Henine also share unconventional tips on how to save water – for example by allowing salts to accumulate
on the mouth of a tap so that the flow is limited – and they try to increase awareness of wise use in mosques and during community gatherings. “The refugees put pressure on our community in terms of water, jobs and the extra paper work that I have to handle,” says Abu Libdo. But he says there are no real tensions. “Maintaining a kind relationship between people – reconciliation – is very important. It is as important as praying and fasting.”
Average daily water use per person in different governorates in Jordan Source: YWC, WHO
World Health Organization recommended level of water supply
HOST COMMUNITIES | 23
Tackling Water and Hygiene in Schools Writers: Rasha Faek & Malak Makki
Doubling shifts Every month, Ola, 16, misses at least five days of school. This year she even had to skip the preparatory exam – the last exam before finals. “The toilets at school are all unusable, which means I have to stay home when I have my period,” she says. Ola attends the morning shift at Al Quds Secondary School for Girls in Amman’s Al Nuzha district. The school is one of 98 in Jordan that introduced a double-shift system in March 2014 to cope with the influx of over 628,000 Syrian refugees
24 | SCHOOLS
since the civil strife there began in 2011. Previously, the school ran classes between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. but it has condensed the length of each class now to accommodate two schools in one building. During the morning shift, from 8 a.m. until noon, 49 teachers give class to more than 1,000 Jordanian girls between the ages of 13 and 18. The afternoon shift from 12:30 to 4 p.m. is co-ed and caters to 370 Syrian pupils between the ages of 6 and 15, with 24 teachers teaching pupils in grades one to nine.
Simple things like going to the toilet and washing your hands are almost impossible in many of Jordan’s overcrowded public schools, as water shortages and dilapidated sanitary facilities make bathrooms unpleasant and unusable.
Syrian students attend the afternoon shift Al Quds Secondary School for Girls in Amman. Source: Rasha Faek.
Shadia al-Seyouf, the school principal of the morning shift. Source: Rasha Faek.
We all want to get the school day over with as soon as possible so we can go home. -
While the double-shift system gives more Syrian children access to schooling in Jordan, it has affected teaching standards: classes are shorter and all extracurricular activities have been canceled. There is also a growing shortage of qualified teachers to take on the large number of pupils.
26 | SCHOOLS
-Randa Abdel-Ghaffar, religion teacher for the afternoon shift
“Filthy” conditions The sharp growth in the school population since 2014 has also put great strain on the infrastructure at Al Quds Secondary School: classrooms are overcrowded,
water use – and therefore water and sewerage service bills – has increased sharply and toilet facilities are entirely inadequate. “Already before we switched to the double-shift system, we had problems with the sewerage system, which is old and badly
maintained,” says Shadia al-Seyouf, the school principal for the morning shift. “Now, with even more students and two shifts a day, we can hardly use the toilets at all anymore.” Like all other public buildings and domestic users in Jordan, Al Quds Secondary School receives water only once a week and the supply runs out within days due to the large number of pupils attending the school. Leaking taps and pipes mean part of the scarce water supply is also wasted. Despite a total of nearly 1,400 students, the school only employs two cleaners, which has led to serious hygiene problems, particularly in the toilets. “The fact that we don’t have enough water, no properly functioning toilets and too few cleaners puts huge pressure on the school,” says Seyouf, describing how blocked sewage pipes regularly cause massive flooding and “filthy” conditions in the toilets.
Being patient “Last year we shut down the three toilet units in the school and built a new toilet block in the yard,” says Seyouf. These outdoor toilets are, however, also in a poor state due to the lack of cleaning personnel and bad maintenance. “I tried to use them once because I was sick, but I just couldn’t,” says Yara, a 14-year-old Jordanian student. “I
can’t bear even getting close to the toilets. The smell is terrible.” Syrian students avoid the outdoor toilet block too: “I try to be patient,” says Mohamed, 10. “But sometimes when I really have to go, I use the toilets and then I get out as fast as possible to escape the awful smell and the big flies.” He said that the toilet block has no running water so the pupils cannot wash their hands or drink. The situation at Al Quds Secondary School is no different from that in other public schools that have introduced the double-shift system to accommodate Syrian refugee children living in cities and villages outside the four established refugee camps. All these schools are today overcrowded and have run-down toilets and sewerage systems. The state of the teachers’ toilets is no better. “As there is little water in the pupils’ toilet block, they are very dirty,” says Rewan Khreisat, the school’s social worker. “That’s why many students ask to use the teachers’ toilets, but they aren’t much better.” The absence of a reliable water supply and functioning toilets directly affects the quality of teaching. “The toilets are horrible, I never use them,” says Randa Abdel-Ghaffar, the religion teacher for the afternoon shift. “Overcrowded classes and the fact that we can’t use the toilets affect the teaching process. We all want to get the school day over with as soon as possible so we can go home.”
Source: Rasha Faek
Wastewater treatment The presence of large numbers of refugees in Jordanian host communities is also stretching the capacity of local sewerage systems and communal waste facilities to the limit. This in turn affects the quality of groundwater resources as raw sewage may leak into local aquifers. International aid agencies are seeking to address this problem by refurbishing sanitation facilities in schools and, in certain cases, equipping schools with small-scale wastewater treatment facilities. “Schools that are not connected to the sewage network could use onsite wastewater treatment,” says Ismael Nouns, a technical adviser
at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which has launched a project to improve water and sanitation at a number of double-shift schools in Jordan. The aim is to reuse wastewater smartly and thus reduce the amount of sewage that needs to be disposed of by truck. “The treated water could be used to irrigate a school garden, to flush toilets or to provide irrigation water to local communities,” says Nouns. The project, entitled ‘Decentralized Wastewater Management in Schools in Host Communities’, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development within the framework of a special initiative of the German government to support refugees and strengthen
Double-shift schools in numbers - As of May 2015, there were nearly 325,00 Syrian refugee children (< 18 years) registered in Jordan - 130,000 Syrian students were enrolled as students in Jordanian public schools - 93% enrolled in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Ajloun, Jerash and Mafraq - 98 double-shift schools were opened in March 2014 to accommodate the extra students - Double-shift schools accommodate morning (8-12 a.m.) and an afternoon (12:30-4:30 p.m) shifts
Sources: UNICEF, UNHCR, Jordanian Ministry of Education
28 | SCHOOLS
the resilience of hosting countries in response to the Syrian refugee crisis in the MENA region. The project includes the rehabilitation and expansion of toilets at overcrowded schools, the design of toilets for disabled pupils, and a special program to teach school staff and cleaners how to improve hygiene conditions in schools. Nouns hopes the project will help Jordanians cope more effectively with the impacts of the Syrian refugee crisis. “Public
Children play in the schoolyard during recess at Al Quds Secondary School for Girls in Amman. Source: Rasha Faek.
schools support facilities learning
in Jordan need more and attention, and better to improve the pupils’ and living environment.”
The project is scheduled for implementation over the summer, so that pupils can start using the new toilet blocks when they go back school next year. “I can’t imagine we will actually have clean toilets at school,” says Mohamed, “but if it happens I promise I will wash my hands every time and also after playing in the yard.”
The treated water could be used to irrigate a school garden, to flush toilets or to provide irrigation water to local communities. - Ismael Nouns, technical adviser, GIZ
SCHOOLS | 29
The tradition of saving water is there, but it is not reflected in practice. We know this is right, nevertheless we don’t abide by it. - Odeh al-Jayyousi, specialist in Islam and sustainable development
إن ﺗﻘﺎﻟﻴﺪ اﻟﻤﺤﺎﻓﻈﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﻴﺎه ﻣﻮﺟﻮدة وﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﻻ ﺗﻨﻌﻜﺲ ﻋﻠﻰ . وﻣﻊ ذﻟﻚ ﻻ ﻧﻠﺘﺰم ﺑﻪ،ﻣﺮ ﺻﺤﻴﺢL ﻧﺤﻦ ﻧﻌﺮف أن ﻫﺬا ا.أرض اﻟﻮاﻗﻊ ﺳﻼم واﻟﺘﻨﻤﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺴﺘﺪاﻣﺔX أﺧﺼﺎﺋﻲ ﻓﻲ ا، ﻋﻮدة اﻟﺠﻴﻮﺳﻲ-
We are trying to find new sources of water. Not because we want to put an end to scarcity, just to stabilize the situation. - Mohammad al-Rababaa’h, general manager of the Yarmouk Water Company
ﻧﻨﺎ ﻧﺮﻳﺪ وﺿﻊL ﻟﻴﺲ.إﻧﻨﺎ ﻧﺤﺎول أن ﻧﻌﺜﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺼﺎدر ﻣﺎﺋﻴﺔ ﺟﺪﻳﺪة . ﺑﻞ ﻟﻨﺤﺎﻓﻆ ﻋﻠﻰ اﺳﺘﻘﺮار اﻟﻮﺿﻊ ﻓﺤﺴﺐ،ﺣﺪ ﻟ ُﻨﺪرة اﻟﻤﻴﺎه ﻣﺪﻳﺮ ﻋﺎم ﺷﺮﻛﺔ ﻣﻴﺎه اﻟﻴﺮﻣﻮك، ﻣﺤﻤﺪ اﻟﺮﺑﺎﺑﻌﺔ-
Wadi Mujib. Source: © David L. Kennedy, Aerial Sourcegraphic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East.
The Syrians are happy here, and we are happy they are our guests, even if it has put pressure on the water. - Aisha, resident of the village of Zahr
ﻣﻊ أن،ﻧﻬﻢ ﺿﻴﻮﻓﻨﺎL وﻧﺤﻦ ﺳﻌﺪاء،اﻟﺴﻮرﻳﻮن ﺳﻌﺪاء ﻫﻨﺎ . ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﻴﺎهlذﻟﻚ ﻓﺮض ﺿﻐﻮﻃ ﻣﻦ ﺳﻜﺎن ﻗﺮﻳﺔ زﻫﺮ، ﻋﺎﺋﺸﺔ-
Water is one of the most basic human needs. As a citizen of this country, I expect the government to provide me with this basic need. -Mohammed Aysa Shlul, resident of the village of Dogara
l ﺑﺎﻋﺘﺒﺎري ﻣﻮاﻃﻨ.ﺳﺎﺳﻴﺔLإن اﻟﻤﻴﺎه ﻣﻦ أﻫﻢ اﻻﺣﺘﻴﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﺒﺸﺮﻳﺔ ا ﻓﺈﻧﻨﻲ أﺗﻮﻗﻊ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﺔ أن ﺗﻮﻓﺮ ﻟﻲ ﻫﺬه اﻟﺤﺎﺟﺔ،ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺒﻠﺪ .ﺳﺎﺳﻴﺔLا ﻣﻦ ﺳﻜﺎن ﻗﺮﻳﺔ دوﻗﺮة، ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻋﻴﺴﻰ ﺷﻠﻮل-