Jabal Bani Hamida water network to be renovated under JD250,000 project

AMMAN — The water infrastructure in Jabal Bani Hamida in Madaba Governorate is being renovated under a project to improve water supply in the municipality, according to government officials.

The project seeks to address water shortage and water loss in the area as a result of worn out pipes, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

“The water network in Jabal Bani Hamida will be renovated, thus improving water supply in the municipality and adjacent areas,” Nasser added.

Construction work on the JD250,000 project, implemented by a local contractor, has commenced and is expected to be completed within seven months, according to the minister.

“Once completed, there will be visible improvement in the area,” Nasser noted.

Jabal Bani Hamida has a population of approximately 10,000 people, residing in some 10 villages, according to web sources. 

The area, which is categorised as one of the country’s poverty pockets, is located on a hill overlooking the Dead Sea. Madaba Governorate, with a population of over 150,000, is situated around 33 kilometres southwest of the capital.

Water per capita in Madaba stands at 133 cubic metres, while the water loss percentage is one of the lowest in the Kingdom — estimated at 31 per cent compared with 34 per cent in Amman.

The project entails extension of main and tertiary pipelines, replacement of the existing carrier and extending tertiary pipes from Waleh Pumping Station to Thiban in Madaba, Water Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh told The Jordan Times.

Salameh noted that the project is funded by the Gulf grant.

In 2011, the Gulf Cooperation Council allocated $5 billion to finance development projects in Jordan during the 2012-2016 period. The grant is divided between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, with each country paying $1.25 billion.

Some $425.4 million has been allocated for water and sanitation projects.