Environmental Geology (1996) 27:198 209 9 Springer-Verlag 1996 A. S. AI-Homoud 9 R.J. Allison 9B. F. Sunna ~ K. White A study on geology, geomorphology, hydrology, groundwater, and physical resources of the desertified Badia environment in Jordan towards sustainable development Received: 31 March 1995 / Accepted:6 June 1995 Abstract This paper summarizes information on geo- morphology and physical resources as a part of the Jordan Badia Research and Development Program. The research focused on the issue of the environment in arid lands as an aid to providing practical options for sustainable develop- ment, for the benefit not only of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan but of other arid regions of the world. The re- search is significant in that there is a need to identify us- able natural resources and establish a framework for their effective exploitation and management in a marginal, frag- ile environment, which is sensitive to change. Pressure for development of the Badia stems from the fact that the great majority of the population in Jordan is compressed into less than 10% of the country by environmental con- straints. It is hoped that the Jordan Badia Research and Development Program will provide the required frame- work to ease current environmental pressures, encourage migration to the Badia, a sparsely populated region, and establish economically and ecologically self-supporting communities. This paper discusses the following areas that are related to the sustainable development of the Jordan Badia with special emphasis on the Safawi area in the northern Jordan Badia; geomorphology, including land- form, processes, and hazards; geology and physical re- sources; hydrology; surface water and water engineering; and groundwater. A. S. A1-Homoud ([~1) Civil EngineeringDepartment,Jordan Universityof Scienceand Technology,P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, Jordan R. J. Allison Department of Geography,ScienceLaboratories, Universityof Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE,UK B. F. Sunna Natural ResourcesAuthority,Ministryof Energyand Mineral Resources, P.O, Box 7, Amman,Jordan K. White School of Geography,Universityof Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TB,UK Key words Geomorphology 9 Geology. Hydrology. Groundwater. Physical resources. Badia 9 Arid lands" Sustainable development 9 Natural resources Introduction The Jordan Badia region covers a wide and significant part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It extends from north to south in the eastern part of Jordan covering an area of 72.660 sq kin, which constitutes 81.3% of the total area (89,400 km 2) of Jordan (Fig. 1). It has good potential for development and represents a viable and strategic area for the country. The region is subdivided into three geo- graphical areas as follows: the Northern Badia, which comprises 35.7% (25,930 km2); the middle Badia, which comprises 13.3% (9634 km2); and the southern Badia, which comprises 51.0% (37,096 km 2) of the total Badia area. The Badia region is within an arid climatological zone. Rainfall is erratic with a maximum of 200 mm annually. Air temperature fluctuates widely from a minimum aver- age of 10~ to 24.5~ with an average temperature of 17.5~ Occasionally absolute minimum and maximum temperatures are -5~ and 46~ respectively. The total population of the Badia represents 5~ of the whole population of the country. Only 5% of the Badia population are still nomadic; the rest are now settled. This low population density suggests a great potential for an increase in populations in contrast to the concentrated urbanization of other parts of the country. Any future development of this region should provide all the elements needed for viable human settlement, notably water, to make the desert productive. The people in the Badia are involved in agriculture, livestock production, civil service, commerce, the armed forces, and mining and prospecting industries. Jordan's Badia is rich in natural resources in quantities adequate for overall developmental requirements. In addition to the vast area available for development, resources include