Water supply to Karak resumes after repairs on damaged pipe

AMMAN — Water supply to Karak Governorate resumed on Wednesday after the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) fixed the main pipeline, which was damaged by livestock breeders the previous day, according to a government official.

The Sultani water main that supplies Karak, 120 kilometres south of the capital, was damaged on Tuesday morning by livestock breeders who fired at the pipeline to extract water for their animals, Water Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“The pipeline was damaged on Tuesday morning, which left thousands of consumers in Karak without water. The broken pipe was leaking 200 cubic metres of water per hour,” Salameh noted.

WAJ technical teams suspended the operations at the Sultani Pumping Station and replaced the damaged part of the pipe, he said, adding that the repairs finished on Wednesday morning.

Karak has a population of 170,000 people, according to the Department of Statistics. The governorate is home to several of the country’s main wells, streams and dams. Water per capita in the governorate stands at 165 litres per day, according to the ministry, which described the amount as above the average. However, 60 per cent of the supplied water is lost through leakage due to violations and deteriorated water networks, pipes and pumping stations.