‘Water authority revamping spring in Balqa to increase water supply’

AMMAN — The Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) has started rehabilitating a spring in Balqa Governorate to produce more water as demand increases during the summer, a government official said on Monday.

The rehabilitation of Haziz spring in Balqa, 35km northwest of the capital, is expected to generate 100 cubic metres per hour, Water Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh said, noting that the additional water will improve supply in Balqa.

“The rehabilitation of the spring is one of several projects being implemented to increase the amount of water in Balqa, especially with the start of the dry season, when an additional 50,000 cubic metres per day are being pumped,” Salameh told The Jordan Times.

He noted that WAJ also completed the rehabilitation of the Sharia spring in Balqa to generate 80 cubic metres of water per hour and Buqouriyeh spring to generate 220 cubic metres per hour.

Salameh said construction on a carrier to convey water from the Assarou area to Salhouliyeh and the adjacent towns has been completed and will commence operations this week.

“The carrier was installed at a cost of JD220,000 to convey 150 cubic metres per hour. The pipeline will be operational within days and increase people’s share of water,” he noted.

He said WAJ also started removing illegal pipes randomly fixed on the water network in Balqa.

“The step will reduce water loss, prevent pollution incidents and increase the amount of water supplied to people, many of whom are forced to purchase water via tankers from private wells or bottled water from purification plants,” Salameh added.

The Balqa water directorate provides water to over 74,000 subscribers and wastewater services to 39,000 subscribers, according to official figures. 

Officials say that the governorate’s water deficit is expected to reach one million cubic metres due to population growth and the presence of Syrian refugees.