Rehabilitation of Ancient Wells for Rainfall Water Harvesting to Improve Water Scarcity in Agriculture to enhance climate change resilience in vulnerable communities in North Jordan.

Environmental NGO (ENGO) Hub > Rehabilitation of Ancient Wells for Rainfall Water Harvesting to Improve Water Scarcity in Agriculture to enhance climate change resilience in vulnerable communities in North Jordan.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The annual rainfall in these areas ranges between 200 and 500mm. Water in these areas is a limiting factor for agriculture and livestock. The project aims to develop a water harvesting system in the targeted communities, by rehabilitation and constructing 150 wells to collect and store rainwater, and this project comes in line with the strategies of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation by bridging the gap between the increased water demand and available water resources. The project aims to increasing the productivity of the unit area using supplemental irrigation for fruit trees and providing water sources for irrigation animals in pastoral areas, reducing the effects of the drought problem, and contributing to raising the standard of living for the targeted families.

PROJECT GOALS:

The overarching goal of this project is to improve the water scarcity and to enhance the climate change resilience for the local vulnerable communities in the northern part of Jordan by introducing non-conventional water resources using the water harvesting technical.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

  • Organizing meetings with the local community to inform citizens about the objectives and importance of the project.
  • Conducting stakeholder mapping study to identify the key stakeholder and beneficiaries from the project.
  • Conducting baseline studies including the water resources in the targeted area, socioeconomic study and gender sensitivity.
  • Executing the rehabilitation and construction of 150 wells for collecting and storing around 20,000 cubic meters of harvested water at least annually.
  • Monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Preparing the final reports and announcing the results

THE EXPECTED RESULTS:

Harvest around 20,000 cubic meters of water. Improve the livelihood of the local communities by creating new jobs opportunity through farming business.

TARGET AREAS:

North Region of Jordan (Jerash and Ajluon)

TARGET GROUP:

150 Rural Jordanian Farmers and their families in Jerash and Ajluon will benefit directly from this project and more than1000 people indirect

ENGO proposes to provide the rehabilitation of 150 Ancient Wells for rainfall water harvesting in the north region of Jordan, Jerash and Ajluon, a high-poverty region that is severely affected by water scarcity. The project aims to develop a water harvesting system in the targeted communities, by rehabilitation and constructing 150 wells to collect and store rainwater. This project comes in line with the strategies of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation by bridging the gap between the increased water demand and available water resources. The project aims to increase the productivity of the unit area using supplemental irrigation for vegetables and fruit trees and providing water sources for irrigation animals in pastoral areas, reducing the effects of the drought problem, and contributing to raising the standard of living for the targeted families.

This includes the rehabilitation of ancient wells and the construction of new wells structure, as well as training on the best on-farm water management practices, to increase water use efficiencies and improve economic opportunities by enabling the increase of crop and livestock production for the benefited families leaving no one behind. This effort will also help to improve environmental conditions through proper management of rainfall and snowmelt, reducing flash flooding problems and restoring land cover vegetation.

Our proposal for rehabilitation of ancient wells as a sustainable source for income benefits for farmers in the rural areas of the north of Jordan. Thus, the projects open job opportunity for 150+ families. The project is in line with the national water strategy and will strongly contribute to achieve the international Sustainable goal such as:  

  • 1. No poverty – creation of local livelihoods.
  • 2. Zero hunger – local production of vegetables and fruit.
  • 3. Good health and wellbeing.
  • 6. Clean Water.
  • 11. Sustainable communities.
  • 13. Climate actions – forest conservation.
  • 15. Life and land
  • 17. Partnership of Goals

I. Introduction and Background

Water harvesting, the process of capturing rainwater, snowmelt and other unexploited water sources for later use, is an important technique in arid and semi-arid areas where little water from rainfall or snow melts is available during dry summer seasons. Appropriate water harvesting systems connected to efficient irrigation networks inside farms can provide agricultural producers in the north region area with the tools to save water during periods of excess (such as the winter when rainfalls and snowmelts from mountains are plentiful) for use during dry periods. This can dramatically improve their economic opportunities by enabling them to implement new cropping patterns and plant additional crops during the summer season. Improvements in pasture areas for livestock grazing and production of forage crops such as barley will provide improved conditions for producing meat and milk.

The north region area of Jordan is a suburban area, where agricultural production is limited by a lack of water harvesting and storage infrastructure. Farmers are not able to produce during the dry summer seasons and lack water for supplemental irrigation of rain-fed crops. Farmers face additional problems due to the area’s high risk for desertification, caused by improper land and water management practices, bad rainfall distribution, steep mountains with shallow soil and poor vegetative cover, due to recent several forest and grassland fires in Jerash and Ajluon. 

Evidence of the resulting negative impact on the land in the north region can be seen by visual assessment of the area, especially in comparison with land immediately across the border with neighboring west bank. Interviews with area farmers reveal that political turmoil, water shortages and mismanagement has severely impacted conditions for agricultural production. With little other economic opportunity in the area, this has contributed to the area becoming a high-poverty region of Jordan.

The project aims to develop a water harvesting system in the targeted communities, by rehabilitation and constructing 150 wells to collect and store rainwater, and this project comes in line with the strategies of the Ministry f Water and Irrigation by bridging the gap between the increased water demand and available water resources. The project aims to increasing the productivity of the unit area using supplemental irrigation for fruit trees and providing water sources for irrigation animals in pastoral areas, reducing the effects of the drought problem, and contributing to raising the standard of living for the targeted families.

ENGO will work to rehabilitate Romanian water wells in poverty pocket areas by working to improve the efficiency of their use to enhance the productive capacity of local communities in order to preserve water resources, improve water use and reduce waste, and make optimal use of it so that the local community can achieve the highest benefit from it to achieve water security by increasing the storage of rain water, and using it for drinking and agricultural purposes, to maximize the efficiency of rainwater use in cultivated and arable lands, and to introduce and disseminate water rationalization methods.

Also, to expand the areas of agriculture and encourage the local community to participate in improving the condition of the vegetation cover and help citizens in planning and developing their local communities and improving their living conditions.

The idea of ​​the project also included training programs and awareness sessions for the families benefiting from the project in the optimal use of water and home cultivation.

The long-abandoned Roman wells in rural areas became more than a relic of a perished civilization. For local communities, wells dug more than 2,000 years ago became a means of survival. Access to safe water has become increasingly difficult, in addition to its high cost for farmers who are already suffering from poverty.

To help farmers in the targeted areas ENGO will work on providing a plan for restoring archaeological wells in the targeted areas. By cleaning the wells, removing stagnant water from them, expanding and deepening them, and monitoring the water quality in them to verify their safety, 75 families in each Governorate will be able to get clean drinking water from the project.

So that the restoration of these wells has become an essential element in consolidating the resilience of the local community. Rehabilitation of the wells will provide a much-needed financial return for the beneficiaries and their families. The water collected in the rehabilitated wells will help them to produce fruits and vegetables that they sell in the local market. “The money they used to pay to buy water can now be used to buy seeds and expand income-generating agricultural production, and they would feel really lucky that they don’t have to ask anyone for financial help.

So, the overarching objective of this project is to improve the water scarcity and to enhance the climate change resilience for the local vulnerable communities in the northern part of Jordan by introducing non-conventional water resources using the water harvesting technical.

II.  Methodology

ENGO will provide the necessary technical support to assess the potential for water harvesting in the targeted areas in north of Jordan and accordingly design the necessary structures for water harvesting and irrigation networks. ENGO team will provide all required services to assess land use and associated water needs in the target area; design a water harvesting, distribution, and drainage network; develop detailed bills of quantity including terms of reference, pricing, and technical drawings for potential harvesting sites; and provide training and technical assistance for target beneficiaries, as well as an awareness building program for beneficiaries and the public.

Successful design and construction of the water harvesting, and irrigation network systems must be complemented by capacity building for the target beneficiaries, particularly farmers in the target area, to maximize the value and effectiveness of the systems in enhancing economic opportunities and improving quality of life. We will consult with beneficiaries, local municipalities, and other stakeholders during each phase of this Project. We will incorporate feedback to ensure that the water harvesting, and irrigation network systems are consistent with local practices and traditions and provide capacity building in operation and maintenance of the system, as well as training to farmers on efficient water use for crop and livestock production.