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Green light, finally

Nov 29,2016 - Last updated at Nov 29,2016

The much-talked-about Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project has been on the national agenda for quite a while now; recently, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced that it shortlisted five consortia, out of 17 that had expressed interest in implementing the giant project, which is finally a small step ahead.

Why it took so long to reach this stage in the prequalification process when the project is said to be of strategic importance to the country — as the most effective way to solve the water crisis, generate electricity and help preserve the Dead Sea, threatened with extinction — is anybody’s guess.

It might be because of the alternative solution to both the diminishing Dead Sea and the country’s water crisis: the Mediterranean-Dead Sea connection channel.

It may be that these two options were competing, with the pros and cons of each weighed before reaching a decision.

Now it seems one is being reached.

From Jordan’s perspective, the Red Sea-Dead Sea option offers more advantages, while connecting the Dead Sea with the Mediterranean would have put the scheme squarely under Israel’s control.

The $10 billion project, to be executed in stages, is due to start in 2018 and end in 2020. It is a complex undertaking that includes the construction of a desalination plant and an advanced water pumping system, but since the entire project will be executed on a buy, operate and transfer basis, it should not have taken this long to reach only this phase.

It would be interesting to know whether an agreement was struck with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, or both, since one of the major aims of the project is to replenish the dwindling Dead Sea water, which they all share, besides the other purposes of providing Jordan with drinking water and generating electricity.

Surely Israelis and Palestinians have had their say on the project; there is a presumption, therefore, that all sides concerned are now on board for the implementation of the project.

 

Barring any unforeseen obstacles, the project will see the light of day and benefit the Kingdom, whose already scarce water resources are further taxed by the influx of refugees.

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