Jordan ultimately depends on rainfall to meet most of its domestic, agricultural and industrial needs; rainfall increases
surface water levels as well as feeds renewable underground sources.
Other sources of water come from non-renewable (fossil water) reservoirs-- such as the Disi reservoir on the Jordanian-Saudi border -- and treated waste. The Jordan and Yarmouk rivers are both major sources of surface water for Jordan, but both had become highly undependable due to the over-pumping by Syria and Israel, leaving Jordan with the rest. Until the 1994 peace treaty Jordan had not been able to draw these sources fully could not make full use of most of the available water resources because of the absence of water-sharing agreements
due to the technical state of war that existed between Jordan and Israel. http://www.jordanembassyus.org/environm.htm
Jordan can be classified as a semi desert area. The high evaporation potential in Jordan caused by high temperature leads to depletion and salinity in water resources. This situation is affecting surface and ground water resources in the different parts of the country, thus limiting their use to purposes, which can do with lower water qualities. In the near future, there will not only be an interruption in supply, lower water quality and higher cost, but rather, a very limited supply, very low quality, and very high cost. (Salameh, 2001
Al Reem , p. 20)
Jordan is suffering from both water scarcity and mal-distribution. The water shortage in Jordan was mainly caused by the complexity of politics in the region, the high population growth, and the influx of hundreds of thousands of Jordanian and Palestinian returnees from the Gulf
countries . Within the next few years Jordan will not be able to meet its increasing demands, even if it uses all
conventional and non-conventional local water resources.