Welcome back to our National Water Quality Month email series, where we will be uncovering more lived experiences from around the world, shedding light on the daily journeys people undertake to collect clean and safe drinking water.

For a moment, picture yourself the moment you woke up today…

What was your first thought? Was it something like:

• Mmm, a nice steaming hot cup of coffee ☕

• Did my phone charge? 📱

• Am I ready for my first meeting?📓

For more than 2 billion people around the world  one of their first thoughts will be: “Do we have water or will I have to collect some?”

Today, we will visit a country in the Middle East where many encounter the daily challenge of water collection. Known for its majestic desert castles — it’s also one of the driest places on this Earth.

[Average Precipitation by country]

Any guesses?

The Arid Land — Jordan

I sat down with Dr. Ra’ed Hayyaneh, our WASH advisor for the Middle East, originally from Jordan, to learn more about this land that neighbours the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.

With minimal amounts of piped water being delivered and the lack of access to regular potable water, Jordanians are left with limited options.

There are no significant water sources left; surface water reservoirs (dams) and groundwater have largely dried up due to extreme temperatures and evaporation. Additionally, climate change is exacerbating the depletion of water resources in Jordan. The little water that is collected from the rain and delivered to homes by the government is supplied intermittently. Any water that households choose to consume is boiled for immediate use, and for the remainder of the time that houses are granted access to free-flowing tap water, community members are pulling out all the stops to store it in jerry cans (rooftop water storage tanks).

Now, households have cans of water stored, ready for use. That seems like good planning… but nothing actually goes to plan.

What if households run out of water?

The good news is there are options:

• A water truck may come around for you to fill up jerry cans.

• You can purchase water from a store

But these options may not offer enough water to last very long.

Jordanians must also consider these factors:

• Since there is no quality control, water collectors may not collect or store water safely

• Water from trucks and stores are sold privately, this could mean exorbitant prices compared to water provided by the government 

• 6m³ costs JOD 30, which is equivalent to CAD 58.21

• 6m³ in Canada would cost CAD 8.52

• Many Jordanians and nearly 4 million Syrian refugees may struggle to afford even basic necessities like jerry cans.

• Even if the water collection or delivery goes to plan, Jordanians must carry their water home and store it there — which introduces more risk factors.. 

• Many store their water in large tanks above their homes; these collect rust and animal excreta, or are left open for other sources of contamination. 

• Lack of awareness about the need for regular maintenance, as well as water conservation, are significant issues that need to be addressed.

Precious local innovations

• A water-saving device can reduce water usage. It’s an aerated device that shares space with the water that passes through; this means that less water flows through but the pressure remains the same.

• Aid agencies provide chlorine tablets that disinfect water.

• Drip irrigation feeds water to the roots of plants from either above or below the soil.

• Jordanians also practice rainwater harvesting.

In a region where consistent access to clean water is often unreliable, it’s not hard to imagine that the arrival of water is met with heartfelt celebrations.

If you’d like to know more about the stories behind the scenes of our work around the world, subscribe to our Global Notebook series. You’ll be the first to receive updates and learn from our staff as they travel worldwide providing training and consulting to help organizations, communities and individuals access safe water, sanitation and hygiene.