Water has always been a precious resource in arid countries like Jordan, and as these two photos show, its value increases in direct proportion to its scarcity. In the picture at right, a goatherd scoops up water for his thirsty flock from the spring at Ayl. A decade ago, the spring was full; its source has dropped 50 meters from where it once emerged.

Below right, water trickles into one of the two municipal reservoirs at Rajif, creating only a shallow pool of water. The water flow into both reservoirs was once so strong that it could be heard across town.