King Abdullah Canal

The King Abdullah Canal is the largest irrigation canal system in Jordan and runs parallel to the east bank of the Jordan River. It was previously known as the East Ghor Main Canal and renamed in 1987 after Abdullah I of Jordan.^[1]

Water sources and technical features

The main water source for the King Abdullah Canal (KAC) is the

through the Deir Allah-Amman carrier, which has been constructed in two phases in the mid-80s and in the early 2000s. The Zarqa River contains a mixture of treated wastewater and natural water flow, which influences the water quality downstream of the Zarqa River intake into the KAC.

History

The canal was designed in 1957 and was built in phases. Construction began in 1959, and the first section was completed in 1961. By 1966, the upstream portion to

It was also involved in later phases.

The original canal was part of a larger project - the Greater Yarmouk project - which envisioned two storage dams on the Yarmouk, and a future West Ghor Canal, on the West Bank of the Jordan. This other canal was never built, because Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. After the Six-Day War, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) operated from bases within Jordan, and launched several attacks on Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley, including attacks on water facilities. Israel responded with raids in Jordan, in an attempt to force king Hussein to rein in the PLO. The canal was the target of at least four of these raids, and was virtually knocked out of commission. The United States intervened to resolve the conflict, and the canal was repaired after Hussein undertook to stop PLO activity in the area.^[5]

References