Cleaning ongoing at King Talal Dam

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Sunday said that it is consistently working to clean all of its water facilities to remove tree residue and waste, especially the King Talal Dam.

The pollution is largelya result of waste dumping due to the multiple uses of the dam’s basin, which has an area of ​​more than 3,000 square kilometres, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

It will take time to complete the cleaning process due to the high quantities of hyssop that enter the dam and its limited processing capabilities, the ministry said. The ministry noted that workers have spent roughly 40 continuous days during the season cleaning the dam.

The ministry pointed out that the cleaning sessions of the dam’s lake will continue through the rainy season whenever needed. 

It called on the general population, including hikers, farmers and residents near the dam’s torrents and valleys, especially the Zarqa torrent, to not throw waste into the waterways feeding into the dam. 

This will help preserve the environmentin compliance with the provisions of the Environmental Law, according to the ministry. 

Roughly 25 million cubic metres of rainwater have entered the King Talal Dam since the beginning of the rainy season, the ministry said, noting that the dam's water is used to irrigate about 150,000dunams of agriculture land in the Jordan Valley.