Minister says billions have been and will be spent to address ‘serious’ water shortage AMMAN — As Jordan has spent more than JD3 billion on its water infrastructure to cater for a spiraling water demand over the past five years, Minister of Water and Irrigation Ali Ghezawi said on Sunday that the international community’s support to its water sector was “below the needed level”.
During a meeting with the press, Ghezawi underlined that Jordan’s hosting of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees had a toll on the Kingdom’s water shares and infrastructure, expressing dismay over the international community’s “low level of response” to Jordan’s challenging water situation.
With over 1.3 million Syrian refugees living in the country, demand for water has increased, especially in the north, where the water per capita share has dropped by half since Syrian refugees began arriving in the country, according to the ministry.
Against this backdrop, the government “has no plan to raise the water tariff this year or anytime soon”, Ghezawi affirmed, underlining that, in 2017, the government supported the water sector with JD246 million, constituting 21.4 per cent of its deficit that year.
“Water projects worth JD4.76 billion will have been implemented by 2023; this explains the increasing indebtedness of the water sector, which stands at JD2.01 billion and makes up 7.4 per cent of the government’s JD27.2 billion debt,” Ghezawi noted.
Over the past 10 years, the ministry has implemented 144 projects worth JD3.145 billion, in addition to 12 projects worth JD145 million to reduce the running costs of the water resources, the minister said, noting that it has managed to save JD12 million after implementing projects to reduce the expenditure of water resources.
Such projects entail the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project, the Amman-Shidiyeh-Hassa Water Conveyance Project, Red Sea desalination water, Wadi Al Arab Water Project, Waleh/Heidan Project, Tannour Dam Project, Hisban River Project, Mujib Dam Water Conveyance Project, as well as several water treatment plants and new dams.
© Copyright The Jordan Times.
All rights reserved.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).