Water loss costs general budget JD260m — JEF

AMMAN — An estimated 47 per cent water loss costs Jordan’s annual budget an amount of JD260 million and remains the water sector’s primary pain-point, according to the Jordan Economic forum (JEF).

During a meeting on the 2020 water law draft, the forum pointed out that improving operations and bringing non-revenue water (NRW) down to 30 percent from 47 per cent will increase operating revenues and cut down government subsidies by JD94 million annually in an already water-scarce country, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, citing a JEF statement. 

In the statement, the JEF stressed that the law should seek improved performance and lower costs for the government and the citizenry, rather than creating a “distortion” intended to enhance the “current image” of the water sector without leaving any impact on real performance and key performance indicators.

The meeting discussed key observations on the bill, which the forum said was formulated and sent to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau without consultation or participation of the water sector stakeholders, despite the fact that the government has been considering the law for about 10 years.

The forum indicated that the current draft fails to address the main problem, that is, the multiplicity of legislation that govern the water sector, stressing that the bill does not provide a holistic and consistent vision. 

After examining the text, JEF said it found key issues in it, including water resource regulation and planning and management. 

To that effect, JEF called for developing water budgets and estimating water quantities to be used by the various stakeholders, according to Petra.