Water Ministry to ‘gradually increase’ water tariff

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Wednesday announced plans to gradually increase the water tariff over the coming years, while assuring citizens that there will be no changes to the tariff during the current year, according to Al Mamlaka TV. 

Secretary-General of the Water Ministry, Jihad Al Mahameed, said that citizens currently pay about JD0.87 per cubic metre of water, while the government pays around JD2.40 per cubic metre, highlighting a significant government subsidy for the water sector. 

The planned tariff increase is necessary to cover the operational costs of the water sector, and is part of the national water strategy launched by the Ministry earlier this month, he noted. 

The government is planning to approve the amendment of the water tariff in September of this year, according to the executive programme for the 2023 Economic Modernisation Vision in the water sector. 

This programme includes 13 priorities aimed at improving the water sector, such as the implementation of water distribution networks, the extraction and transportation of water and the implementation of a strategy to reduce water loss by 2 per cent annually.