AMMAN
— The Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced on Wednesday that water
tariffs will be gradually increased in the coming years to cover operational
costs.
اضافة اعلان
Secretary-General
of the
Ministry of Water Jihad Mahameed confirmed that citizens currently pay
around 87 cents per cubic meter of water, while the government incurs costs of
around JD2.40, indicating the government's significant support for the water
sector, according to Al-Mamlaka TV.
The
National Water Strategy launched by the ministry this month prioritizes reforms
to the water sector, including gradually raising water prices to cover
operational costs, he said.
The
Executive Program of the
Economic Modernization Vision 2023 has also shown
progress in proposing a revision of water tariffs and conducting a financial
study on the amendment within the financial sustainability plan to be discussed
among relevant ministers.
The
program has further revealed that the government plans to approve a tariff
adjustment for water in September of this year.
Reforms to address water scarcityJordan
is ranked second globally in terms of the scarcity of traditional water
sources.
Mahameed
explained that natural and human causes, agricultural and industrial
investments, have increased the gap between water supply and demand. He pointed
out that most of Jordan's areas receive less than 200mm of rain, making the
Kingdom suffer from water scarcity.
Climate
change, he added, has affected the rainfall rate and temporal distribution of
rain, negatively impacting the storage of dams in Jordan.
The
Executive
Program of Economic Modernization in the water sector prioritizes
implementing water distribution networks, water sourcing and transportation,
preparing a financial sustainability plan for the sector, and implementing a
strategy to reduce water loss by 2 percent annually.
He
said that energy is one of the challenges facing the water sector in Jordan due
to the cost of transporting and operating water, pointing to shared water
basins with neighboring countries "where Jordan has not reached an
agreement to fully take its rights from these sources".
Concerning
the energy-for-water project involving Jordan, the UAE, and Israel, Mahameed
stated that the project is undergoing economic feasibility studies, expressing
optimism that it will benefit Jordan.
He
explained that most water projects are costly, which has affected the
sustainability or search for non-traditional water sources, as the Ministry of
Water is doing through the
National Carrier, which will provide around 300
million cubic meters of water to all governorates.
Reducing water lossThe
per capita share of water in Jordan is less than 70 cubic meters per year,
while the global ratio or extreme poverty is around 500 cubic meters annually,
according to Mahameed.
Therefore,
the National Water Strategy focuses on collaboration between the water,
agriculture, and energy sectors and introducing modern technology, especially
in irrigation, to reduce water usage or increase water efficiency in
agriculture.
The
strategy aims to reduce water loss by 2 percent annually to reach global
figures ranging between 20–25 percent by 2040. It will also ensure the
financial sustainability of the water sector by reducing the gap between
available financial resources and what the government spends and supports in
the water sector.
Water attacksSince
2014, the number of attacks on water sources has surpassed 70,000, according to
Mahameed, who added that more than 1,300 illegal wells were filled.
In
response, the Ministry of Water initiated a campaign to curb these attacks and
amended Water Authority Law No. 18, raising the maximum penalty to five years
in prison and a fine of over JD10,000.
Mahameed
acknowledged that the issue is not with the law, but with the implementation of
penalties by the judiciary, hindering the process of reducing attacks. However,
he also noted a significant decrease in illegal wells and attacks annually,
with the current rainy season outperforming the previous one.
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