Jordan launches water conveyance project

Jordan last week opened the Disi Water Conveyance Project, an initiative that will pump an annual 100 million cubic metres of water to Amman and other governorates in the kingdom.

Construction began on the approximately $1.2 billion Disi project in August 2009. The project is now pumping drinking water from the Disi basin aquifer, located to the east of the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, and transporting it via a 325-kilometre pipeline to areas around the country.

Jordan is one of the 10 poorest countries in terms of water resources per inhabitant, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The project aims to provide a sustainable source of water to support Jordan's economic and social development, the official Petra News Agency reported.

During experimental pumping, water was pumped at 40 to 60% of the Disi pipeline's capacity, at a rate of 130,000 cubic metres per day to each governorate, Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in early July.

Much of the water pumping is done using gravity to save energy, he said, noting that the water travels more than 234 kilometres by the momentum of gravity.

Nasser said he hopes Jordanians will feel the impact of the project after water pumping proceeds on a regular basis and the amount of water pumped increases.

Amman housing project owner Annan al-Bdareen told Al-Shorfa there was a noticeable improvement in the amount of water he received after the Disi project's launch.

"In the summer months, and with the return of expatriates and the increasing number of tourists, we are required to purchase water from water tankers on a weekly basis," he said. "However, we expect an improvement in the coming weeks, leading to comprehensive solutions for water pumping in the capital Amman and other governorates."

RISE IN DEMAND FOR WATER

Adnan al-Zoubi, former assistant to the secretary-general at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, said the Disi project is one of the best Jordanian projects to improve the management of water sources, and will raise the per capita share of water from 140 litres to 190 litres per day.

Al-Zoubi said the importance of this project is that it pumps water to Amman and nine other governorates, while redirecting water sources that were pumped from Madaba.

Water from the Madaba Governorate, which is situated to the south of the capital and has been facing its own water shortage issues, had been channelled to Amman to meet the city's demand.

Al-Zoubi said it is crucial to implement the project in a timely manner in light of the increasing demand on the system, due to the kingdom's 2.2% per annum population increase and the growing influx of Syrian refugees.

Economic writer Ibrahim Khreisat said the Disi project meets the necessary infrastructure requirements, and benefits the large investment projects and populations in the central areas of the kingdom, which are experiencing significant economic and demographic growth.

"This project could encourage Jordan to invest in the regional 'Two Seas Canal' project, which aims to pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, and would contribute to the provision of sustainable energy and water sources to Jordan," he said.