Ajloun pond restored through USAID project, conserving potable water

AMMAN — The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently announced the completion of the restoration of the Queen Rania rainwater catchment pond in Ajloun. 

According to a USAID statement, this refurbishment project preserves drinking water by supplying an alternative source for non-potable water restricted to irrigation, firefighting, construction and livestock farming.

“The pond in Ajloun had not been functioning for more than 10 years due to safety concerns,” said Maher Hamdan, chief of party for the USAID Water Innovation Technologies project, which funded the process. 

“Instead of using drinking water for other purposes, the 34,475 residents of Al Junaid Municipality now have access to an alternative water source,” he added in the statement.

In Jordan, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, every drop counts. USAID has facilitated conversations between community leaders and stakeholders in the project’s targeted regions to identify small projects that can improve communities’ access to water, including the Queen Rania pond project, the statement said.  

The efforts at the pond, also known as “Ebbien Pond”, included the installation of a new high-density polyethylene lining to prevent leakage. 

Safety measures were a central part of the restoration process, including construction of a double fence around the pond and a guard room, installation of lights around the pond and setting up of safety ropes and floating tyres to prevent drowning. 

To ensure safe operation of the pond in the future, Al Junaid Municipality has agreed to hire two full-time guards to staff the guard room 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and to perform systematic maintenance checks of the pond’s infrastructure, the statement added. 

The USAID Water Innovation Technologies project aims to improve water conservation measures in northern Jordan through the adoption of water-saving technologies and practices. USAID helps Jordan improve water infrastructure, conserve precious water resources and use them as efficiently as possible, according to the statement. 

The US government, through USAID, has provided foreign assistance from the American people to Jordan for more than 60 years, the statement concluded.