The Jordan River
Creators: name: Leifer, Amanda
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2021

description: The Jordan River has faced environmental degradation due to regional conflict. As a result of conflict, and the river’s status as a transboundary river, the quality of water has been affected by pollution from various sources, thus having ripple effects on the environment and local ecology. The overexploitation of the river’s water by different riparian groups, such as Israel and Jordan, have resulted in a lack of flow in the river. An unfortunate result of this is that the ecosystems along the river no longer have the flows needed for their survival. If not addressed, this will have drastic impacts on the people who rely on the river for water to irrigate crops, commercial use, and drinking water.The research yielded a matrix of solutions to help revitalize and rehabilitate the Jordan River and its ecological systems, which will in turn help the humans who have exploited its water for so long. This matrix focuses on access, ecology, geopolitics, ecology, geopolitics and climate change and studies how they can be addressed for a healthier river. The matrix is informed by the historical research, case studies, and existing master plans. It borrows ideas from the past to create a better future for the river. The thesis question has three parts. First, how might the history of the river inform possible rehabilitation solutions? Second, taking into consideration the geopolitics of the region, how does power over water play into the Arab-Israeli conflict, and how does it affect power imbalances surrounding issues of access to the river and to river water? Lastly, how has and will climate change be a player in the rehabilitation process of the river?Historical documents were analyzed to discern how historical events affected the Jordan River. The impact of humans on the river is clearly addressed in various agreements, maps, and plans that split the river, the wars that have divided it, and the damage caused through pollution and human irresponsibility. This research considers the impacts of climate change on the river and how the effects of climate change may affect the river in the future.The Colorado River and Rio Grande River Basins were examined as case studies illustrating how transboundary rivers can be governed. The rivers in the Southwestern United States share many similar issues with the Jordan River, and were used to study what cooperation strategies might be implemented. As transboundary rivers, the Colorado and Rio Grande are interesting examples to study and compare with the Jordan River. This study also focused on master plans created by the NGO EcoPeace, an organization that brings together Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians to collaborate on environmental issues. Also examined were master plans from the South Jordan Drainage Authority, the Israeli government organization that works on projects along the river. These case studies and master plans yielded inspiration for the resulting solutions matrix.This thesis makes three key contributions. It elucidates the history of conflict in the region from a perspective that considers the importance of the Jordan River and water rights in treaties and agreements. It makes proposals for water management strategies, arraying them in a matrix that displays a spectrum of possibilities ranging from the most practical to the most utopian. Finally, a resource is developed for other researchers in the form of a website that presents clear visual representations of these complex issues.