‘Projected pipeline to convey water from King Abdullah Canal to Irbid’

AMMAN — A pipeline will be established to convey water from King Abdullah Canal to Irbid Governorate to address the surging demand for water due to the ongoing Syrian refugee influx in the northern region, government officials said Sunday.

The project's studies are in the final phases and its blueprint is almost ready, Water Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh said.

“The carrier is one of the main strategic water projects the ministry will implement in the northern region," Salameh told The Jordan Times. 

"As the water sector in the north is witnessing massive pressure due to rising temperatures, the arrival of expatriates and the ongoing influx of Syrian refugees, the resources are generating less water,” he added, noting that “tough water conditions in the north necessitate the implementation of the carrier."

In a statement released Sunday, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said the carrier will convey 30 million cubic metres of water annually from the King Abdullah Canal to the Wadi Al Arab Pumping Station before it eventually reaches Irbid’s Zabada water reservoir, which is currently under rehabilitation to store 100,000 cubic metres per day.

The project will cost $85 million and international agencies agreed to finance it, according to Salameh.

“Construction on the carrier will commence next year and it will take 16 months to be completed,” he underscored.

The 110-kilometre King Abdullah Canal is supplied by the Yarmouk River. It irrigates 40 per cent of the crops in the Jordan Valley and supplies some 40 per cent of the capital’s water after being treated at the Zai Water Treatment Plant.

Salameh said the project is part of the water emergency plan’s second phase, which Nasser announced on Sunday during a meeting with heads of water directorates across the country and water companies.

Nasser said the second phase seeks to deal with the increasing demand for water with the onset of summer and the holy month of Ramadan, as well as the influx of tourists, expatriates and Syrian refugees.

“The second phase of the Water Authority of Jordan's emergency plan consists of operating new water resources and redistributing water to districts with shortages.”