Implications of simplified policy indicators on water security outcomes for vulnerable households in Irbid, Jordan

This paper investigates the prevalence of water scarcity discourse in Jordan’s policy indicators and examines potential implications of such metrics on the achievement of sufficient, clean water for household needs. The research utilises concepts of household water security and indicator bias to unpack policy-related assessments of domestic water allocation performance and compare them with end-user experiences of system outcomes. Stakeholder perspectives were collected in two northwestern districts, Irbid Qasaba and Ramtha, with a focus on vulnerable Syrian refugee and Jordanian households. The study reveals that the indicators used in policymaking measure allocation performance based on average supply per capita at the governorate level, which inaccurately presumes accessibility and equitability of service across the studied districts and individual households. Syrian refugee and Jordanian end-users in Irbid reported significant variations in their experiences of household water security, highlighting the importance of factors such as frequency of network delivery, tank storage capacity, and assets for alternative sources like private tanker trucks. These point-of-access differentiators are found to be largely unrepresented in policymakers’ data and unaddressed in national or regional management strategies. Instead, simplified indicators in Jordan’s water policies appear to reinforce the national discourse of water scarcity and prioritize supply-driven management practices that insufficiently alleviate insecurities of vulnerable Syrian refugee and Jordanian end-users. The paper emphasizes the need for critical reflection on scarcity data and indicators, urging a shift towards more inclusive and accurate representations of household water access in policymaking processes.