AMMAN —
Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Al-Najjar said on Sunday that the
ministry’s plan to address water challenges includes fast-tracking the
implementation of water network replacement projects and enhancing the
network’s capacity.
اضافة اعلان
The ministry
hopes to decrease network-related losses by 2 percent annually through these
reforms. Currently, 50 percent of the water pumped into networks is lost. He
added that this is a “huge” challenge facing Jordan’s water sector.
The goal, the
minister said, is to reach levels that do not exceed 25 percent by 2040.
He added that the
water loss situation is impacted by the constantly depleting water resources
and the impact of climate change, the decline in rainy seasons, and the hike in
population numbers.
The water loss
plan, which forms a major part of the National Water Strategy for 2022–2040, is
an “ambitious” program to reduce water loss by 2 percent annually. The plan
will implement projects worth about $350 million and is funded by the USAID, he
said.
The projects will
also be 10 percent financed by the government.
The plan aims to
restructure and improve networks and carry out administrative, technical, and
technological measures to improve water supply efficiency. It also aims to
improve distribution, reduce losses gradually, and switch to pumping with a
natural flow, which saves energy and maintenance costs, he said.
This process also
extends the lifetime of networks and control systems and expands programs to
protect water sources and reduce attacks by improving the monitoring campaign,
he said.
Najjar added that
the project aims to reduce water losses by offering successive parallel
projects in various regions of the Kingdom and through multiple stages.
He noted that
these projects began in Amman through the Jordan Water Company, Miyahuna, with
a value of $30 million.
Under this
project, operations will expand to cover the governorates of Madaba, Zarqa, and
Aqaba, with double financing value, to become $60 million, he pointed out.
The second phase
agreement was signed in 2018, at a value of $152 million, to be completed by
the end of 2023, he noted, adding that projects are scheduled to be completed
at the end of 2025.
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