Today, May 28th, 2012, FoEME attended a symposium funded by USAID, Jordan River Foundation, the Royal Scientific Society and Mercy Corps about possibly community based initiatives that can be taken to reduce demand for water in Jordan. At “Insights into Community Driven Water Demand Management,” held at the Sheraton Hotel in Amman, experts discussed possible avenues that should be explored from the bottom up to conserve energy and water in Jordan to reach a sustainable level of use. Rainfall water harvesting, gray water use for farming and landscaping, as well as solar panels and improved water efficiency technologies were all considered as potential water and energy supply management options.
Rain water harvesting was discussed in depth. For instance, per year, rainwater harvesting in Jordan could result in a hundred thousand cubic meters of water saved municipally; this would be enough to support 1000 families and their water needs for an entire year. Options such as rainwater harvesting need to be considered in the quest for sustainable water management, and so less water is taken from limited water resources such as the Jordan River or aquifers.
Mercy Corps also highlighted individual success stories of Jordanians who used innovative farming methods to grow crops with limited amounts of water. These methods included digging a cistern to collect rain water and a homemade water treatment station.
FoEME staff members participated and supported this event: this symposium’s emphasis on including community members in the struggle to conserve water reflects FoEME’s belief that a community-driven approach to water conservation must be taken in tandem with more policy driven solutions for success to occur.
This post was contributed by FoEME intern and Social Media Coordinator, Luca Winer. Luca is based in FoEME‘s Amman office.