Not a day goes by without a press report about an attack on water sources or major transport lines. Attacks in which there is a dare in transgression, which raises surprise and wonder.
اضافة اعلان
These campaigns should continue unabated, and we should support the efforts of the Water Authority, the Ministry of Interior, and the security forces, with all the requirements for success and continuity. However, what is striking about the reports received in this regard is that the action taken is limited to controlling the incident and the mechanisms used, without announcing the arrest of those involved in it.
In a country that ranks among the poorest in terms of safe drinking water sources, this scale of attacks cannot be tolerated, or perpetrated. We know that the law has been amended many times over the past years to increase the penalties for perpetrators of water theft and attacks on underground basins and water sources.
Unfortunately, these severe penalties do not appear to be enough to deter individuals. It may require a review of the legislative system and the instructions related to this file to provide harsher deterrence tools.
In my opinion, crimes against water resources and national transport lines are no less serious than crimes against national security and sovereignty, such as terrorist acts.
For millions of Jordanians, it is no longer acceptable for the citizen to live on the minimum of his right to clean water, and endure endless suffering with the interruption of water to large areas in the summer, while millions of cubic meters are stolen daily, and their prices go into the pockets of thieves.
A limited number of people receive stolen water free of charge, while the vast majority pay for what is consumed.
Water loss is the biggest problem facing the water sector in Jordan, and one of the most prominent reasons that led to the exacerbation of the sector's indebtedness, until it reached this dangerous level.
Industry officials know that the largest proportion of losses are primarily caused by theft and attacks on major transport lines.
There is a promising government plan with donors to implement non-stop projects to improve water networks to reduce waste. However, these important projects do not address the problem of large-scale thefts, which account for the largest percentage of losses, according to reliable reports, and which in turn needs a new definition that places them at the center of a high-risk threat to Jordan's national security.
The state is currently preparing to implement the largest water project in Jordan's history, represented by the national carrier, and seawater desalination to provide about 300 million cubic meters of water. Before that, we have a disi and other projects at the provincial level.
We are talking about billions of dinars to provide water to citizens and agriculture, to get out of the cycle of water poverty, and to keep pace with the growing needs of population growth.
A country that owes billions and mobilizes resources to serve its citizens should not allow outlaw groups to steal people's rights and waste the public money we have spent on these projects.
We have not been as serious about this challenge as we are today, but security campaigns against large-scale attacks, despite their importance and necessity, are not enough, and our technical capabilities, which are available in the world, must be developed to make attacks of all kinds difficult and costly for the perpetrators.
Directing the necessary resources to reduce the rate of theft, because in doing so, we are effectively and tangibly reducing losses, and at the same time we are putting a step on the path to containing the debt burden of this sector.
