Elias Salameh, a professor specialised in the topic at the University of Jordan, said both the quality and quantity of the Kingdom’s water in aquifers are declining, pinning blame on overpumping and the meagre rainfall during the winter.

Excessive pumping during the past 25 years from various aquifers resulted in a drop in water levels between 20 centimetres and 1.5 metres annually, Salameh said.

He called on the government to rationalise the use of underground water by limiting cultivation in desert areas.

“There are big companies starting agricultural projects in the desert. They consume large amounts of water that we are in dire need of.”

He urged the government not to renew these companies’ licences, which expires in 2010 and 2011.

There are around 12 renewable and nonrenewable aquifers, such as Disi and Al Jafer, stretching on an area of 633-1,856 square kilometres.

Ministry of Water and Irrigation Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary General Adnan Zu’bi said that over 76 per cent of the country’s water needs for drinking purposes are secured from underground sources.

With demand over water expected to rise during the summer, the country will likely face a difficult dry season. The official said, in light of the low rainfall, the ministry is currently digging more wells and plans to rent others from the private sector.

According to the latest ministry figures, there are around 6,248 active wells in different parts of the country, 681 of which are unlicensed.

The inadequate rainfall during winter failed to replenish the underground water aquifers, dams, fountains and other sources. Precipitation registered constituted only 57 per cent of the long-term annual average of 8.3 billion cubic metres.

“The low rainfall will not only reflect negatively on the quantity of underground water, but also it will raise the salinity percentages,” Salameh said.

Taking into consideration rainfall is the main source of underground water, the amount of pumped water should, in theory, be reduced and even stopped at certain aquifers, according to the expert.

Several main underground aquifers have already dried up and others are on the way to complete depletion. Al Duleil aquifer is now completely dry, Al Jafer is almost dry after eight years of pumping, while the Azraq aquifer is expected to run out of water in 15 or 20 years if random pumping continues, according to Salameh.

Around 257mcm of water annually is channelled into the country’s underground aquifers. Official figures show that approximately 501mcm are pumped out.

Zu’bi agreed with Salameh that random pumping threatens the wells’ sustainability and the quality of water.

The water expert said the Disi aquifer, which will be the capital’s main source of water in four years, will also dry up in 50 years, unless the government rationalises water pumping from nonrenewable sources, by banning cultivation in those areas.

Under the multimillion Disi Water Conveyance Project, around 100mcm of water is expected to be pumped to the capital annually. The Disi project, to be established on a BOT basis, is one of six strategic plans initiated by the ministry to address the country's water deficit, which currently stands at 500mcm annually.