The
Zarqa River is the second largest tributary of the lower
Jordan River, after the
Yarmouk River. It is the third largest river in the region by annual discharge, and its watershed encompasses the most densely populated areas east of the Jordan River. It rises in springs near
Amman, and flows through a deep and broad valley (which is identified with the biblical Jabbok River) into the Jordan, at an elevation lower. The river is heavily polluted and its restoration is one of the top priorities for the Jordanian Ministry of the Environment.