US delegation visits Water Ministry, discusses cooperation

AMMAN — A US delegation from Nebraska on Thursday visited the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, discussing means to enhance water cooperation. 

The guest delegation, including academics from Nebraska University, as well as representatives from the private sector and the Rural and Agriculture Council of America, met Secretary General of the Water Authority Bashar Batayneh and several officials over advancing cooperation in the fields of water and modern agriculture, notably to tap further into the Nebraska’s expertise, according to a ministry statement.

Talks during the meeting went over Nebraska’s experience in this arena, mainly the use of modern technology in irrigation and agriculture, which helped improve water use efficiency in irrigation, increased production and achieved significant returns.

These methods were implemented in a number of Middle Eastern countries and proved successful, the delegation noted, expressing keenness to bolster partnerships with the Kingdom. 

Expressing thanks to the US’ efforts in support of the Kingdom in various sectors, Batayneh reviewed the challenges facing the water sector, including increasing demand with limited water resources, the high cost of energy, operation and maintenance, as well as the impact of climate change over the past few years and its effects on the dams’ storage, in addition to the repercussions of regional conflicts and arrival of refugees, besides the pandemic.

Jordan has a successful experience in water reuse to expand the agricultural land, especially for planting feed, he said, highlighting plans to improve water quality to be used in various agricultural fields.