AMMAN — The
minister of planning and international cooperation, Zeina Toukan, and World Bank country director for the
Middle East department, Jean-Christophe Carret, signed on Sunday a $250 million financing
agreement for a water sector efficiency project in Jordan.
اضافة اعلان
According to a ministry press release, $200 million of the
total amount will be in the form of a soft loan from the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, and $50 million will be in the form of a grant
from the
Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF), which is managed by the
World Bank and provides concessional financing to
middle-income countries
hosting large numbers of refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.
The components of the project are summed up in the sustainable
reduction of water loss rates, raising energy efficiency, reducing the costs of
supplying water to water pumping stations, and developing measures related to
water security that will preserve water resources and increase the
efficiency of its use.
The water sector efficiency project in Jordan is fully
consistent with the national strategy for the sector, which was recently
approved by the government, and the road map for financial sustainability of
the water sector, which was approved by the Cabinet in November 2022.
Severe water crisis
Carret said that Jordan is one of the most water-scarce
countries in the world, adding that it is witnessing a severe water crisis that
undermines economic and
human development in the country.
This funding, he noted, is the first step in a series of
proposed projects that aim to support Jordan's efforts in addressing water
waste, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing the country's resilience to
climate shocks.
The project also supports the implementation of the main
recommendations contained in the
World Bank Group’s Country Climate and
Development Reports in Jordan, which put water sector efficiency at the top of
its priorities.
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