Desalination and water reuse: The EU and Jordan join forces to tackle water scarcity

Half the world's population is facing water scarcity, and this proportion is set to increase as a result of climate change. Risks include environmental damage, food insecurity, forced migration and conflict.

Jordan has become one of the three most water-poor countries in the world, with an estimated available capacity of 61m3 of water per capita per year, well below the 500m3 threshold that characterises water scarcity.

The pressure on very limited resources has been increased by climate change and waves of millions of refugees in this stable kingdom in recent decades.

The European Union is co-financing a large number of projects through grants and loans alongside the European Investment Bank and development agencies such as Germany's KfW and France's AFD, to ensure that citizens have sufficient water and to promote Jordan's sustainable development.

These projects include the construction of the Wadi al Arab II drinking water production plant, the renovation of the Irbid water reservoir and the modernization of water treatment plants to enable farmers to irrigate their fields with reclaimed water.

The EU is also one of the main backers of the mega-project dubbed ‘Aqaba-Amman’, which involves building one of the world's largest desalination plants on the Red Sea and pumping water 450 km to the capital.

‘If this project does not work out, we will not have enough water for agriculture or industry. Investors are coming to bid in this project, so hopefully we will do it’, Jordan Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Soud told Euronews.

Desalination is one of the ‘non-conventional’ water resources on which some European countries such as Spain, Cyprus and Portugal are already relying heavily. But this practice is