Amman, Zarqa residents to receive less water during Disi maintenance

AMMAN — Residents of Amman and Zarqa are encouraged to limit their water consumption during the last week of this month, as authorities will implement a scheduled maintenance on the Disi Water Conveyance Project, an official said on Sunday.

“People are encouraged to save as much water as possible during this week and to keep a reserve for next week, when they will receive much less water than the usual, and thus are advised to reduce their use of water during the project’s vital maintenance period,” an official at the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) said.

Miyahuna announced that it will suspend pumping water from the Disi project between November 25 and December 1, in order to carry out maintenance on the Disi project’s many components and main carrier.

“The company carries out maintenance during winter, when water consumption is at its lowest. This is in preparation for the summer months, when demand surges and the project’s infrastructure witnesses much pressure,” the official underlined.

Changes in the amounts of water supplied to subscribers as well as the number of pumping hours under the weekly water distribution programme are expected as of November 25, when water pumping will be suspended from the Disi project, a main water source to Amman and Zarqa.

The company prepares for the scheduled suspension of the pumping of water from the Disi project at least one month ahead to ensure minimal disruption for residents in both governorates and also informs the public to take precautions, the official noted.

Under the water distribution programme, households across the Kingdom receive water once during a certain period, usually between 7 to 10 days, on a rotating basis. Scarce water resources in the country compelled the Kingdom to initiate the programme in the early 1980s to conserve limited resources whilst ensuring a sustainable supply of water.

The Disi project conveys 100 million cubic metres annually from the Disi aquifer in southern Jordan to the capital via a 325-kilometre pipeline. The project started pumping water to Amman in 2013.Maintenance on the Disi project is part of an annual maintenance on all of the water sources and pumping stations, according to water officials.

Miyahuna has 600,000 subscribers in Amman and 150,000 subscribers in Zarqa.