Illegal well sealed in Zarqa; drilling rig confiscated in Ramtha

By Hana Namrouqa - Nov 01,2016 - Last updated at Nov 01,2016

Security personnel and Water Ministry employees confiscate an unlicensed drilling rig found in Ramtha on Tuesday (Photo courtesy of Water Ministry)

AMMAN — Authorities have sealed an illegal well in a dairy farm in Zarqa Governorate and prevented the digging of a new one in Ramtha, an official said on Tuesday.

A team from the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) and security forces raided the farm in Duleil Municipality, northeast of Zarqa, after receiving information about an illegal well at the location, the official at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said.

“The team, which raided the dairy farm on Monday, found several tankers being filled with water from an illegal well at the location,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Jordan Times.

The prosecutor general has ordered the arrest of the owner of the farm, who is now being questioned, the official said, noting that WAJ has estimated the amount of water pumped from the well as well as its cost.

“The illegal well has also been sealed within the ministry’s efforts to protect underground water from depletion,” he added.

Meanwhile in Ramtha District, 90km north of the capital, the ministry also received information on Tuesday morning of an unlicensed drilling rig.

“The drilling rig was being prepared to be transported to an unknown destination. The vehicle is unlicensed, and it was evident that its owner was planning to use it to drill an illegal well,” the official highlighted.

He noted that authorities are now tracking down the owner of the drilling rig, which was confiscated.

Authorities have sealed 806 illegal wells over the past three years, when a national campaign to end violations on water networks and resources was launched.

The government banned the drilling of wells in 1997 to limit random pumping of water and to preserve aquifers from depletion and salinity.

International studies indicate that water levels at several aquifers have been dropping at a rate of 1 metre per year, according to the Water Ministry, which says that more than 50 million cubic metres of underground water is being extracted in indiscriminate pumping.

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