Calculation and Management of Water Supply and Demand under Land Use/Cover Changes in the Yarmouk River Basin Governorates in Jordan

Abstract

This paper presents the calculation and management of water supply and demand under land use/cover changes in the Yarmouk River Basin in Jordan for the years 1997, 2007 and 2017. It aims to analyze and link the changes in the land classes with the water resources supply demand as the groundwater is unable to meet the inhabitants demand, necessitating land management practices. The method includes deriving land use/cover maps using the supervised classification, identifying basin governorates, cities and villages, calculating the basin governorates’ inhabitants, water demand, supply of internal wells, water loss, and actual water consumption. The results showed an increase in the urban area by 3.01%, while forests, rain-fed vegetables and crops declined by 1.57% and 1.09%, respectively. Urbanization appears mainly at the expense of rangelands, an important change affecting water supply from internal wells due to increased pumping to balance population demand. Although it is decreasing per capita, the water demand is high. Changing land use practices, securing inter-basin water resources, and calculating water losses is a challenge of great importance that can manage water shortages and increase actual consumption. This research is important in order to understand the supply demand situation and to aid a wide range of users, water-managers, land-planners and decision-makers.