Crown Prince opens vital water project in Karak

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the Regent, on Sunday inaugurated the Mujib Dam Water Conveyance Project that is going to channel water from the dam to Karak, 140km south of Amman. 

The project, which cost JD11 million funded by a grant from the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, will enhance water supply to Karak's villages by pumping drinking water with a capacity of 500 metres per an hour,

The upgrade will benefit 7,800 subscribers and increase the number of beneficiaries to 40,000 citizens. 

The Regent toured the site of the project and was briefed on the stages of its establishment, its advantages, and the modern technological means used to process water and purify it, a Royal Court statement said.

During the inauguration ceremony, Water and Irrigation Minister Hazem Nasser pointed out the project will ensure the implementation of a comprehensive water system that will improve the water situation in the governorate by 30 per cent.

The project will work on channelling water from Mujib Dam to Karak with a capacity of 5 million cubic metres annually, the minister noted. 

He noted that Karak Governorate has suffered interruptions of water supply during the past years. The situation was aggravated due to the drought that hit the area and the influx of refugees.

Nasser showcased the Water Ministry’s future plans to execute strategic projects for water and drainage, which include building more dams to increase the overall storage capacity of all dams from 325 to 400 million cubic metres.

Moreover, the projects also include preserving the few water resources and protecting them from theft and contamination. 

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh, Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi, as well as a number of Karak MPs and officials accompanied the Crown Prince in the tour.

In an interview with Petra, Water Minister Adviser and Project Director Akram Rabadi said the project was conducted by Jordanian hands, and that despite the rough terrain, the project was finished in a record time of 127 days. 

Karak has a population of over 170,000, according to the Department of Statistics. The governorate is home to several of the country’s main wells, streams and dams.