Economic Feasibilities of Al-Karak Dam Project

Jordan is one of the ten most water-deprived countries in the world. The scarcity of water resources is one of the main challenges facing the country considering the increasing demand on water resources due to high growth in population and improvement in the quality of life. To meet the increasing demands, the country has undertaken extensive reform and investment measures in the water sector over the past decade including the construction of several dams for irrigation, municipal uses and recharge. However, the construction of dams is costly and may have diverse social and environmental impacts. Therefore, a decision to construct a dam is typically based on its financial and economic feasibility as well as on the assessment of its social and economic impacts. This paper presents the economic feasibility of the proposed Al-Karak dam. The dam is intended for efficient utilization and management of Wadi Al-Karak flood and base flow for irrigation of Ghor Al-Mazra farm area and for possible industrial use of several Dead Sea industrial and touristic establishments. The feasibility is performed for two scenarios: one based on observed irrigation requirements and one based on analysis of irrigation requirements for the typical crop patterns. The second scenario adopts an integrated approach of water supplies from Wadi Al-Karak and the adjacent Wadi Ibn Hammad. The results indicate that the dam is feasible; however, it is recommended to evaluate the project as a component of an integrated system of two potential dams on Wadi Al-Karak and Wadi Ibn Hammad. It is believed that this integrated approach will further enhance the feasibility through efficient utilization of the base flow and floods of the two wadies.