Jordan is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water resources. The UN defines a country with an average annual per capita share of water supply of less than 500 cubic meters as suffering from “absolute scarcity” and right now Jordan has an average of 150 cubic meter per resident. The Yarmouk River usually accounts for 40% of the water supply in Jordan.
Against this backdrop, the Blue Peace Media Lab (BPML) series focused on the Yarmouk river discusses the treaties that Jordan signed in the past with Syria and Israel. It also examines whether such treaties should be revisited and whether Jordan should rely more on its domestic resources rather than on bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries.
One important pillar of the Blue Peace Media Lab (BPML) initiative is the production & dissemination of water related media pieces in the region as a means to (further) sensitise water-sector stakeholders as well as the public on the importance of regional dialogue for identifying solutions that will ultimately improve water management practices in the Middle East. There is an emphasis on producing and publishing multi-media formats across different platforms – including legacy media as well as a maintaining a strong focus on social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter).
The Yarmouk river series was produced and published in cooperation with Maysara Films (Jordan). The Blue Peace Media Lab will follow up from this series in the course of 2021, understanding the Yarmouk river and its role from different regional perspectives.
