Mistakes in water distribution system leaves families in Jerash without water for two weeks

By Hana Namrouqa – Jun 23,2018

AMMAN — A technical committee will restructure a faulty new water network that left subscribers in Jerash Governorate without adequate water supply, government officials said on Saturday.

Residents of south and west Jerash, 45 kilometres north of Amman, have been living without sufficient and regular water supply since the installation of a new water network earlier this month in both parts of the governorate, the officials said.

Upon hearing of the dire water situation in the governorate, Minister of Water and Irrigation Munir Owais visited the affected areas on Friday morning with a team to identify the cause of the problem, according to a statement released by the ministry on Saturday.

In the statement, Owais apologised to residents of both parts of Jerash for the disruption in the water distribution programme and vowed to solve the problem immediately and to hold accountable those responsible.

He confirmed that “mistakes” in the water distribution programme prevented many families from their right to access to water.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Omar Salameh, said that a newly built water infrastructure in south and west Jerash was not installed properly, which caused the supply problem.

“A technical committee is now studying the new infrastructure. Initially, the installed network will be reconstructed to make it compatible with the water situation of Jerash,” Salameh told The Jordan Times, noting that certain standards and regulations will be introduced to prevent the reoccurrence of this incident.

He underlined that legal action will be taken against those involved in the negligence that left many people without water for the past two weeks.

Abdullah Abu Rashed, a resident of western Jerash, said that area residents were hopeful that water supply will improve with the installation of the new network.

“We have been without water for many days now, we are purchasing water via tankers… we did not see that coming,” he told The Jordan Times, noting that the ministry’s promise to find a quick solution was reassuring.

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/authorities-fix-jerash-faulty-new-water-network