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Jordan's natural resources are limited to support population in a sustainable manner. However, its environment is exposed to a number of threats. In order to best explain Jordan's environmental difficulties, it would be prudent to focus individually on each of these major concerns: water shortages, agriculture/land and air pollution. This study focuses on the environmental problems in Jordan and has addressed the process of reversing environmental decline. A true foundation of environmental protection requires awareness upon the part of the population and a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations are actively involved in educating the populace about environmental issues. This article presents specific recommendations addressing water resources, the areas of agriculture and air pollution. It emphasis throughout on the conservation of water, agriculturally productive land and the quality of air, of which, the contamination or loss of them would bring rapid and significant consequences to Jordan.

We suggested general polices that can be implemented to improve the sustainability and serviceability of the water sector in Jordan. It is suggested that water legislations in Jordan need to be updated to expand the involvement of the private sector to retain sustainable maintenance programmes that effectively mend water distribution systems. Moreover, water resources should be reallocated among competing sectors considering priority to users with purposes that are deemed to have the higher returns in economic and social terms. It is suggested that activating public awareness programmes will raise community understanding and support for water allocation plans among competing water use sectors and improve public participation in developing and accepting new policies related to water management

Concurrent reconstructions of October-April precipitation at Madaba and Rabba gauging sites in central Jordan back to the year 1777 using a multivariate regression model are presented. The reconstruction model was calibrated using concurrent precipitation and tree-ring data for the period 1953-1981 The regression equation is significant (p < 0.05), while reconstructions account for 53% and 48% (adjusted for lost degrees of freedom) of the total variability of the precipitation at the Madaba and Rabba sites, respectively. The validation statistic obtained indicates the existence of worthwhile information in the reconstructions. A threshold of 1 standard deviation below the mean is used to define extremely dry years. The concurrent analysis of the reconstructed precipitation at both sites indicates the occurrence of 24 regional extremely dry periods of between 1 and 2 years' duration. Dry periods of more than 2 years' duration rarely occur. This study indicates the occurrence of noticeable extremely dry individual years: 1800, 1827, 1895 and 1933. The estimated mean recurrence times of extreme droughts are 9.3 and 51.3 years for droughts of 1-year and 2-years duration, respectively.