By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN – With the onset of summer, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has started distributing water-saving devices to households across the country to reduce water use during the hot season.

Under the ministry’s summer campaign, technical teams will install these fixtures in households in six governorates where demand is high and resources are limited, the ministry’s assistant secretary general and spokesperson, Adnan Zu’bi, said on Thursday.

“The campaign seeks to raise people’s awareness on the need to cut down on water use, especially during the summer when demand surges, and to adopt water-efficient practices,” he told The Jordan Times.

The water-saving devices will be distributed free of charge to households in Amman, Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash, Mafraq and Aqaba under the campaign’s first phase, the official noted.

Local studies indicate that 50 per cent of water consumption comes from taps, half from kitchen taps, while water consumption originating in kitchens in homes across the country is 25 per cent higher than the international average.

Officials expect the devices will help cut water use by 30 per cent and reduce water bills.

“The Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) will be responsible for distributing and installing the fixtures in Amman…” Zu’bi said, noting that the campaign will be implemented in cooperation with the water companies operating in the northern region and Aqaba.

He noted that the water-saving devices will be installed in households in certain Amman neighbourhoods where water consumption is high including Tabarbour, Shafa Badran, Abdoun, the Seventh Circle area and Al Kursi.

The campaign is implemented in cooperation with the USAID-funded IDARA (Instituting Water Demand Management in Jordan) project.

http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=37670