Minister of Water and Irrigation, Eng. Raed Abu Al-Saud, and Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Eng. Sami Smeirat, inspected today, Sunday, at the Dabouq Operations Center, the progress of the Smart Transformation Project for Managing Water and Wastewater Services.
اضافة اعلان
The Minister of Water and Irrigation affirmed that the ministry is moving forward with adopting artificial intelligence technologies within its development plans aimed at enhancing water services provided to citizens and improving the efficiency of water resource management across the Kingdom. This aligns with government directives toward digital transformation and the adoption of modern technological solutions, fulfilling royal directives, the Economic Modernization Vision, and the strategic plan for the water sector under the ministry’s vision to upgrade government services, boost operational efficiency, achieve the highest standards of quality and transparency in water resource management, reduce water loss, and secure additional quantities to serve citizens and support sustainable development efforts in the Kingdom through the US-funded "Smart Transformation Project for Water Facilities."
In the presence of the CEO of Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna), Eng. Mohammad Al-Kharabsheh, Assistant CEO for Operations, Eng. Qutaiba Maraiyat, and a number of technical experts and specialists, Eng. Abu Al-Saud explained that this pioneering project is the first of its kind in the Kingdom to utilize AI technologies. It contributes to enhancing water network monitoring and enabling early detection of breakdowns and leaks—reducing pressure on networks and minimizing non-revenue water (water loss), particularly in pilot areas where it has been implemented, while increasing distribution efficiency. He highlighted the successful reduction of water loss by 10% in the Kingdom over the past year. Furthermore, the project supports planning and decision-making processes by leveraging AI to analyze big data regarding water consumption and demand, enabling officials to quickly and effectively utilize data to resolve disruptions with less time and effort, as well as providing immediate alternatives to supply affected areas with water from other available zones.
The Minister of Water and Irrigation pointed out that the ministry, the Water Authority, and water companies have achieved tangible accomplishments in developing smart systems capable of forecasting future water needs, prioritizing maintenance, and responding swiftly to complaints—especially in the capital, Amman, which accounts for more than 50% of the Kingdom's subscribers. This positively impacts service quality for citizens and enhances water resource sustainability. He noted that these technologies represent a vital tool for addressing Jordan's water challenges by improving the management of available water sources, maximizing their utilization, and reaching global benchmarks in water loss reduction, emphasizing that the ministry has an ambitious long-term plan to boost investment in innovative digital solutions and build necessary technical capacities to ensure optimal outcomes.
For his part, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Eng. Sami Smeirat confirmed that the government is committed to cementing the digital transformation approach and deploying advanced technologies and AI to develop government services and vital sectors, directly impacting citizens' lives and improving resource efficiency. He stated that the Smart Transformation Project for Water and Wastewater Services Management embodies a clear governmental direction toward shifting from traditional service management to smart operational models reliant on real-time data analysis and predictive capabilities. This allows for more accurate and rapid decision-making, improved service delivery, and addressing challenges before they escalate, praising the advanced level reached by water sector services.
Smeirat noted that the government views modern technologies as essential tools for addressing national challenges and enhancing efficiency across various sectors. He stressed that the experience of integrating AI into the water sector serves as a model that can be built upon and expanded to other government sectors and services. He added that the upcoming phase will see increased focus on interconnecting systems, integrating data, upgrading digital infrastructure, and enhancing national capabilities in AI, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT)—contributing to building smarter, more proactive, and efficient government services, and supporting Jordan’s journey toward a modern, innovation-driven digital economy.
The CEO of "Miyahuna," Eng. Mohammad Al-Kharabsheh, emphasized that the project represents a qualitative leap in the mechanisms of managing and operating water facilities efficiently and reducing water loss. It grounds the concept of data-driven management and enhances the capability to leverage available information to improve operational efficiency, elevate service standards for citizens, and ensure equity.
The project relies on establishing a unified smart platform that connects various operational systems in the water sector—including control and monitoring systems, smart meter infrastructure, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and geographic information systems (GIS)—within a centralized database that allows real-time data analysis and supports operational decision-making.
Data unification serves as one of the project's key pillars, shifting away from reliance on scattered reports and manual operations in data analysis toward an integrated ecosystem that provides a comprehensive, real-time overview of networks, facilities, and water resources, thereby enhancing response speed and the precision of planning and operations.
The project enables remote management of the main water network—which includes transmission lines between main reservoirs—using AI algorithms to analyze available water sources, actual demand, and historical data, suggesting or automatically executing optimal operational scenarios. This enhances the water sector management's ability to respond immediately to emergencies, outages, demand fluctuations, system faults, and pipe bursts.
At the sub-network level, the project involves implementing the concept of smart intermittent supply in two areas of Khalda by installing automatic shut-off valves on household connections, contributing to improved leak detection capabilities and better pressure management within the network.
The project stands as one of the strategic, pioneering initiatives in Jordan's water sector, reflecting the commitment of the ministry and water companies to building a more efficient and sustainable operational ecosystem that relies on data as a foundational pillar for planning, operation, and decision-making across all regions of the Kingdom.
