Projected surge in Kingdom dams’ storage capacity amid wet season — Water Ministry

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Monday forecast promising increase in water storage across the Kingdom’s dams as a result of the wet season. 

Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh conveyed optimism regarding the 2023 wet season, noting that recent precipitation has led to a rise in water levels across 15 major dams in the Kingdom, reaching 72 million cubic metres (mcm).

Salameh said that current water levels stand at 25 per cent of the total capacity of Jordan’s dams, which totals 288,128mcm.

The highest percentage of stored rainwater was recorded in the Fidan Dam in Wadi Araba, which reached its highest storage capacity of 3.306mcm, he added.

The Kingdom was affected early on Monday by a depression which brought heavy rainfall to different parts of the country, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The impact of the depression and the cold air mass will taper off on Tuesday morning, according to the department.

The weather is expected to remain cold and cloudy on Tuesday, with the possibility of light rain showers in the morning hours in limited parts of the central and the south-western regions of the Kingdom, the JMD said, noting that the temperature is predicted to increase slightly over the coming days. 

The temperatures in Amman on Tuesday will see a high of 13°C during the day and a low of 7°C at night, while on Wednesday mercury levels are expected to range between 17°C and 8°C. On Thursday, temperatures are forecast to range between 18°C and 9°C.

In response to the prevailing weather conditions, the Public Security Directorate called on citizens to exercise caution during the prevailing depression. It also warned of low visibility; due to the formation of fog in some areas.