AMMAN — Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Al-Najjar
on Saturday stated that, despite less rain and a harsher summer this year, the
Kingdom’s water situation is stable.
اضافة اعلان
The minister said on national television that “there is nothing
to worry about”, and the government is planning to increase the Kingdom’s water
supply using various sources, according to Al-Ghad news.
Towards the end of June, Najjar addressed the issue at a Parliamentary
Committee on Agriculture, Water, and Irrigation meeting, explaining that “the
dams in the Kingdom are significantly at a lower capacity this year compared to
previous years, which affects the quantities of water available for drinking
and agricultural purposes."
The Kingdom received less rain than usual during the winter, which is
traditionally Jordan’s rainy season.
Najjar also turned to the the Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and
Conveyance Project on Saturday, saying that the project was delayed.
The project was initially proposed during the London Conference in
2019. He said that the project qualified for investments in the private and
public sectors on a local and international level in 2020.
Najjar added that the project also received offers from
private companies, banks, and
other financial institutions to raise its capacity at a cost of JD2.2 billion,
contending that the ministry will announce the top five contenders towards the
end of July. Companies have until mid-2022 to send their offers, according to
Najjar.
The minister also said that 80 percent of Jordan’s water supply
depends on groundwater, which is already depleted. The water sector has been
utilizing surface water since 1985 and desalinating saline water since
2006.
Najjar estimated that research surrounding the project will be finished
by the end of 2022, and that the project will be fully completed by 2026.
Ministry of Water and Irrigation spokesman, Omar Salameh,
previously told
Jordan News that the "ministry has expedited
the excavation of a number of wells in various areas as well as the hiring of private
wells to compensate for shortages.”
Dams across the Kingdom held
roughly 146 million cubic meters of water, representing 43.4 percent of their
total capacity, by the close of this year's winter season, as previously
reported by
Jordan News.
The government has called on
the public to remain conscious of their water usage and to only use household
water for intended purposes.
Read more
National
.jpg)
.jpg)
