In the ledgers of any country, the "water security" file is listed under the category of heavy obligations; it is a strategic burden that swallows billions of dinars in desalination and transfer projects, and imposes chronic pressure on a budget exhausted by debt. But, what if a single exceptional winter, like the one we are experiencing, has the ability to flip this complex equation? What if nature gave us the opportunity, even temporarily, to shift this file from the expense category to the productive asset category? What has happened this season goes beyond just rainfall; it is a temporary economic repositioning of our most precious and scarce resources.
At first glance, the story seems simple. With rainfall exceeding 130% of the annual average in some areas, the total storage level of the kingdom's major fourteen dams rose to exceed 280 million cubic meters, approaching 85% of their total storage capacity. This figure translates directly into an abundance of water allocated for agriculture—a sector that consumes more than half of our water resources and contributes about 5% to the gross domestic product. The inevitable result is a promising agricultural season, lower costs for thousands of farmers, and anticipated stability in the prices of the food basket, which accounts for about a third of Jordanian household spending.
However, the real analysis begins where these direct figures end. This water stock is not just water, but an "emergency strategic asset" that suddenly appeared in the state's balance sheet. It gives the economic decision-maker a margin of flexibility that was not anticipated. Instead of allocating emergency financial provisions to cope with summer droughts, it is now possible to free up part of this liquidity and direct it towards accelerating stalled capital projects or supporting other productive sectors. Every dinar that was supposed to be spent on expensive water, now freed by the rain, returns to circulate in the local economy, generating a multiplier effect that cannot be underestimated.
Let's look at it from the perspective of "energy economics." In a country that imports 91% of its energy needs, desalination and pumping from deep ground wells are among the most electricity-consuming operations. The presence of 280 million cubic meters in the dams, a large part of which can be distributed by natural gravity, means direct savings of millions of dinars from the national energy bill. This is not just a saving of money but a relief from the pressure on the electricity network and an indirect contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the Jordanian economy. This is a rare example of water security meeting energy security in a profitable, synergistic relationship.
Perhaps the most significant benefit is the intangible one: time. This winter has bought us precious time. Instead of being in a constant "crisis management" mode, we have temporarily moved to "strategic planning" mode. This is the ideal timing to accelerate work on fundamental solutions, including the "National Carrier" project, which will cost at least 9 billion dinars. Negotiating and planning for a project of this size with full dams gives you a negotiating stance and analytical capability more solid than doing so with depleted dams.
In the end, this winter has not only provided us with water. It has granted us additional financial liquidity, savings on our energy bill, flexibility in planning, and a strategic asset that has boosted our position. It has proven that investing in building more earthen dams and pits to collect every drop of rain is not just an environmental policy but one of the most economically prudent and profitable policies in the long term.
