www.water-alternatives.org Volume 12 | Issue 3 Zeitoun, M.; Abdallah, C.; Dajani, M.; Khresat, S.; Elaydi, H. and Alfarra, A. 2019. The Yarmouk tributary to the Jordan River I: Agreements impeding equitable transboundary water arrangements. Water Alternatives 12(3): 1064-1094 The Yarmouk Tributary to the Jordan River I: Agreements Impeding Equitable Transboundary Water Arrangements Mark Zeitoun School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK;
[email protected] Chadi Abdallah Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Beirut, Lebanon;
[email protected] Muna Dajani Middle East Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK;
[email protected] Saʼeb Khresat Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan;
[email protected] Heather Elaydi Independent researcher;
[email protected] Amani Alfarra Independent researcher;
[email protected] ABSTRACT: This article explores the ways in which two international water agreements on the Yarmouk tributary to the Jordan River induce or impede transformation to equitable transboundary water arrangements. The agreements in question were reached between Jordan and Syria in 1987, and between Jordan and Israel in 1994. Following a brief review of theory and a summary of the body of knowledge on 'model' agreements, the article combines official river-gauging data with interviews and textual analysis to query the text and role of the agreements, particularly in relation to key dams and other infrastructure. Both agreements are found to i) lack important clauses that could govern groundwater abstraction, environmental concerns, water quality, and the ability to adapt to changing water quality, availability and need; and ii) include both ambiguous and rigid clauses that result in generally inequitable allocation of water and thus of the benefits derived from its use.