Jordan facing ‘one of the most severe’ droughts in its history

Experts say Jordan is now in the grip of a severe drought, but many warn the worst is yet to come.

Ahmad Daoud surveyed his shrivelled tomato plants near the Dead Sea in Jordan, where severe drought in what is already one of the world’s most water-deficient countries is hitting hard. “Look at how the land thirsts,” he said, walking on cracked earth stained with white salt patches, waving at the five hectares (12 acres) of his farm. “Everything I planted… is dead.” He inspected a tomato the size of a marble that had dried up before it ripened.