Drinking water sources, availability, quality, access and utilization for goats in the Karak Governorate, Jordan

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2015-01, Vol.47 (1), p.163-169
• Main Authors: Al-Khaza’leh, Ja’far Mansur, Reiber, Christoph, Al Baqain, Raid, Valle Zárate, Anne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture - methods; Animal Husbandry - methods; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Boreholes; Data collection; drinking; Drinking Water; Dry season; farmers; feed intake; fuels; Goats; groundwater; Groundwater depletion; guidelines; interviews; iron; Jordan; Life Sciences; Livestock; Regular Articles; Seasons; Surveys and Questionnaires; travel; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; wages and remuneration; Water; Water harvesting; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water quality; Water scarcity; Water shortages; Water Supply; Zoology
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-014-0702-6

Goat production is an important agricultural activity in Jordan. The country is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water scarcity. Provision of sufficient quantity of good quality drinking water is important for goats to maintain feed intake and production. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal availability and quality of goats’ drinking water sources, accessibility, and utilization in different zones in the Karak Governorate in southern Jordan. Data collection methods comprised interviews with purposively selected farmers and quality assessment of water sources. The provision of drinking water was considered as one of the major constraints for goat production, particularly during the dry season (DS). Long travel distances to the water sources, waiting time at watering points, and high fuel and labor costs were the key reasons associated with the problem. All the values of water quality (WQ) parameters were within acceptable limits of the guidelines for livestock drinking WQ with exception of iron, which showed slightly elevated concentration in one borehole source in the DS. These findings show that water shortage is an important problem leading to consequences for goat keepers. To alleviate the water shortage constraint and in view of the depleted groundwater sources, alternative water sources at reasonable distance have to be tapped and monitored for water quality and more efficient use of rainwater harvesting systems in the study area is recommended.