Like other neighboring countries in the Middle East, Jordan face challenging water shortage problems, scarcity of water in Jordan is not the only problem, but water pollution is another important one, it is obvious that trends in the quantity and quality of the pollution load has undergone various changes.

There is a potential to lessen the burden of these problems through the use of wastewater for irrigation after it has been disinfected and the contaminants have been removed using ionizing radiation in combination with conventional techniques.

The use of nuclear technology to recycle wastewater, particularly for irrigation purpose is foreseen to be a viable alternative in a semi-arid country as Jordan where the 16 existing treatment plants receive an inflow in excess of 200,000 Cubic meters per day.

According to the importance of water problems in Jordan NED received a support of a national project from International Atomic Energy Agency under the title "Pre-feasibility Study for the Reuse of Wastewater Through Radiation Processing" (JOR/8/006). This project will be implemented in co-operation with Water Authority of Jordan. The results of the study will provide information for the Government to base a decision on regarding the feasibility of a wastewater recycling pilot plant using ionizing radiation, where farmers would have additional water resources at their disposal for growing crops without tapping into precious fresh water supply.