Sustainable water systems installed in northern Jordan’s host communities

AMMAN — Sustainable water solutions have been introduced to schools and public institutions in the northern governorates' host communities, which shelter the majority of Syrian refugees.

Under a year-long project concluded on Wednesday, a total of 38 public buildings were equipped with 17 rainwater harvesting systems and 28 grey water treatment units over the past year, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which implemented the project.

The project, dubbed "Enhancing the Resilience of Host Communities in Jordan by Promoting Sustainable Water Solutions", was implemented in Mafraq, Irbid, Jerash, Ajloun and Zarqa, according to the UNDP, which indicated that the project reached 14,000 and 60,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries.

The project, implemented at a cost of 396,000, is funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development.

A wastewater treatment system was also installed, 38 awareness sessions on water-related topics organised and two manuals on rainwater harvesting and grey water reuse released.

During the project's concluding workshop, Nidal Awran, UNDP's environment and climate change programme director, stressed the importance of the project in strengthening the resilience of host communities by providing certain technologies that ensure a sustainable supply of water.

"It is a response to the pressures on natural resources which became further strained with the influx of Syrian refugees," Awran said.

Noting that the project has been implemented in a record time, the UN official underlined that the grey water reuse units were locally manufactured by the Royal Scientific Society (RSS).

The project was implemented in partnership with the RSS, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and the Future Pioneers for Empowering Communities.

The RSS also prepared the manual on rainwater collection and grey water treatment and reuse, which Awran said "represents one of the vital outcomes of the project".

"The manual was compiled to serve a diverse target group, such as school and university students…, it is a reference that we hope authorities will benefit from and build on its content," Awran highlighted.

Up to 90 per cent of Syrian refugees in Jordan live among host communities, while the rest is accommodated in refugee camps, according to Salameh Mahasneh from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, who said that the annual water per capita share in Jordan stands at 147 cubic metres of water, which is well-below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic metres per year.

The total number of Syrians living in Jordan is estimated at 1.4 million, around 550,000 of whom are refugees who arrived in the Kingdom following the onset of the conflict in Syria in March 2011, according to official figures.