Jordan, Netherlands hold workshop to enhance cooperation in water field

AMMAN — Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) Secretary General Bashar Batayneh and Dutch Ambassador to Jordan Harry Verweij on Monday inaugurated a "Sponge City Workshop". 

Batayneh said that the workshop aims to explore ideas relating to the concept of "Amsterdam Sponge City", which displays innovative methods to confront the challenges of sanitation networks, rainwater flows and water administration under climate change, according to a WAJ statement. 

Batayneh said that this partnership has a strategic importance for the Water Ministry/WAJ and the Yarmouk Water Company due to “the dire need” to improve the efficiency of water administration and water and sanitation services for citizens. 

In this regard, he said that population increase and refugee hosting resulted in big challenges for water supplies in the Kingdom, mainly in the north. 

Verweij said that improving the international water administration is a priority for the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry in cooperation with other stakeholders, especially as Jordan is the second poorest country in the world in terms of water resources. 

The ambassador added that the Netherlands in 2020 supported water operators partnership between World Waternet and Yarmouk Water Company based on the existing and close cooperation with the Water Ministry and WAJ. 

Yarmouk Water Company Chairman Hussein Soub said that Jordan’s water security is a critical issue in the region. The government has made several important steps to address all water security issues and embarked on important and leading schemes to achieve water security, according to Soub.