Zarqa water supply to increase by 53% with switch to new station — Miyahuna

AMMAN — Water supply to the majority of areas in Zarqa Governorate will increase by 53 per cent starting Tuesday when a new pumping station will start operating, an official at the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) said on Sunday.

Miyahuna, which took over the management of water and wastewater services in Zarqa in January, will suspend pumping from the old Khaw station on Monday and commence pumping from the new station on Tuesday.

“Pumping water to scores of neighbourhoods in Zarqa will be suspended for 18 hours on Monday due to the transition,” added the Miyahuna official, who preferred anonymity.

The water distribution programme will not be affected, according to the official, who underscored that Miyahuna will increase pumping hours and the amount of water pumped to households to compensate for the temporary suspension on Monday.

The suspension will include Zarqa City as well as Duleil and Hashemiyeh districts, he added.

Under the water distribution programme, households receive water once a week on a rotating basis. Scarce water resources in the country compelled the Kingdom to initiate the programme in the early 1980s to ensure a sustainable water supply for subscribers.

“The new Khaw water pumping station will operate at a capacity of 1,500 cubic metres per hour, which is an increase of 700 cubic metres per hour compared to the old Khaw station,” the official highlighted.

The switch to the new station was made to deliver water from the Disi Water Conveyance Project to additional subscribers in Zarqa, the official said, noting that water supply will improve and the energy bill will drop.

Miyahuna provides services to 150,000 subscribers in Zarqa, 70 per cent of whom are linked to the sewage network, while in Amman, the company has 600,000 subscribers, 80 per cent of whom are linked to the sewage network.

Current water loss in Zarqa stands at 50 per cent, while water supply is 36 hours per week.