National Water Carrier Project tops gov’t priorities — EDAMA chief

AMMAN — The National Water Carrier Project (Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Transport Project) is currently the main priority of the government and the water sector in Jordan, according to Chairman of EDAMA's Board of Directors Dureid Mahasneh.

Mahasneh said that the National Carrier Project works on providing desalinated water from the Gulf of Aqaba to Amman without affecting the environment, highlighting the project’s importance for the Kingdom’s water security.

“Four major strategic partners have been selected to supply the ministry with action plans to implement the project, which will provide 300 million cubic metres per year and hopefully be a very successful project both economically and environmentally,” Mahasneh told The Jordan Times during a recent interview.

Mahasneh emphasised the need to utilise alternative energy and hydrogen in order to reduce carbon emissions in the project.

He noted that it is a “must” to review the trans-boundary water agreements with neighbouring countries.

“It is not foreseen that there will be a direct nor immediate impact on the water sector in Jordan due to the Ukraine-Russia crisis,” Mahasneh added.

During the second meeting of the National Economic Workshop on Saturday, water sector experts and specialists discussed future opportunities for growth in the sector and areas for improvement.

The session highlighted the importance of achieving water security in Jordan during the upcoming years through the growth and improvement of the water sector.

The discussion panel concluded the talks on growth opportunities, through agreeing to the establishment of a unified databank, leveraging existing water and sanitation infrastructure, the activation and acceleration towards completion of ongoing projects, and much more.

The success of these growth opportunities lies in raising awareness, legislation, financing, planning, technology and coordination among stakeholders, the panel heard.

According to the Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad Najjar, the water sector is of high importance for other sectors as it is crucial to achieve water security, which he called a “major issue”.

Najjar also indicated that financial sustainability is one of the most important achievements, which must be considered in the new strategy for 2033.

The session also discussed the major goals and achievements for the upcoming 10 years in the water sector, such as adequate waste water collection and treatment, achieving a low carbon footprint through renewable energy, creating additional water resources (such as the national carrier project), as well as water demand management.