Overview of Middle East Water Resources
Surface Water
Wadi Mujib
The Mujib watershed is drained by several wadis that
run gently along the Jordan Highland and Plateau at
elevations of 700 to 900 m above sea level before
plunging down into gorges as they approach the eastern
escarpment of the Jordan Rift Valley and flow to
the Dead Sea, at about 410 m below sea level. The
Wadi Mujib is the largest tributary on the eastern side
of the Dead Sea with a total drainage area of 6,600
km2 , including the Wadi Wala catchment. The climate
is semi-arid to arid, with cold and rainy winters, and
hot, dry summers that often are marked by drought.
The average annual precipitation is 154 mm and
ranges from 300 mm in the northwestern part of the
watershed to 50 mm or less in the southeastern
corner. Most precipitation is distributed in the rainy
season from October to April. The average annual
potential (pan) evaporation is 2,200 mm.
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Incised valley of the Wadi Mujib
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Flow characteristics of the Wadi Mujib have been measured
at Karak Road, where the drainage area is about
4,385 km2 . The Wadi Mujib has fairly stable baseflow
that typically provides from about 0.1 MCM per month
during the summer to more than 1 MCM per month
during the winter, as shown in the graph of the median
monthly volume to the right. Zero flow conditions have
occurred infrequently at the Karak Bridge gage during
summer months of very dry years. Occasional intense
storms during the winter months can produce large flood
events that, in some years, account for more than half of
the annual flow volume. The largest observed flood on
the Wadi Mujib occurred in January 1965, and produced
a maximum daily mean discharge of 632 m3/s. The total
annual flow volume for 1965 was 112 MCM, of which
108 MCM occurred during the month of January.
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Hydrographs. Left: Median annual volume by watershed. Right: Annual volume, 1965-91.
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Water Data Banks Project,
Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources,
Middle East Peace Process
Overview of Middle East Water Resources
Information about this document.
