Weekend rain channels over 25 million cubic metres of water into dams

AMMAN — Rain over the weekend channelled over 25 million cubic metres (mcm) of water into the country’s 14 major dams, an official at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said on Saturday.

In the meantime, several water resources supplying the capital and other governorates remained suspended by Saturday after the ministry shut them down due to an increase in turbidity levels following the heavy precipitation, the official said.

By Saturday morning, storage at the dams reached 118mcm, which is 35.1 per cent of the dams' total capacity of 336.1mcm, the official said, noting that, during this time last year, the dams held 143mcm or 44.23 per cent of their capacity.

"We are ecstatic for receiving sufficient rain that raised the storage at the dams. The storage was discouraging before, but the last two depressions brought good amounts of water," the official, who preferred to remain unnamed, told The Jordan Times.

A polar front and strong depression affected the country on Thursday, bringing heavy rain to most parts of the country and snow that accumulated in Karak, Tafileh, some parts of Jerash and Ajloun and the mountainous areas of the central region.

Three dams reached their full capacity following the depression, including the 30mcm-Mujib Dam, the 8.1mcm-Waleh Dam and the 1mcm Lajjoun Dam, the official said, indicating that the Jordan Valley Authority opened the gates of the Mujib and Waleh Dam to allow the flowing water clear sediments.

The weekend precipitations raised the overall rain that the country received since the start of the wet season to 3.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water, which constitutes 41.6 per cent of Jordan’s long-term annual average of rainfall of 8 bcm, according to the ministry.