by Hana Namrouqa | Dec 26, 2013
AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has launched a project for the rehabilitation of water networks in Madaba Governorate to improve supply, according to a senior official.
Work on the water networks in the governorate is expected to be completed by mid-2015 under an agreement signed between the ministry and a local contractor on Wednesday.
Madaba Governorate, with a population of over 150,000, is situated around 33 kilometres south of the capital.
Water per capita in Madaba stands at 133 cubic metres, while the water loss percentage is considered one of the lowest in the Kingdom — estimated at 31 per cent compared with 34 per cent in Amman.
“Under the agreement, worth JD4 million, the contractor will extend over 50-kilometre-long water conveyors and pipelines and establish 1,370 new tertiary pipes,” Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.
The rehabilitation and restructuring project also entails improving the governorate’s reservoir station and installing new pumps, which will reduce energy consumption, according to the minister.
Also on Wednesday, the ministry launched two projects worth JD800,000 to establish new water networks in Jerash Governorate and Ramtha District in Irbid Governorate, in addition to a JD104,000 project to improve energy efficiency at water pumping stations.
Nasser said in the statement that the ministry will soon launch several projects at a cost of JD5 million to improve water services in the northern Jordan Valley, northern badia and Mafraq Governorate, highlighting that the projects will be implemented over several phases.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s spokesperson, Omar Salameh, told The Jordan Times that all of the projects are funded by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) grant, noting that some $425.40 million is allocated for water and sanitation projects.
In 2011, the GCC allocated $5 billion to finance development projects in Jordan during the period 2012/16.
The grant is divided between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, with each country paying $1.25 billion.
http://jordantimes.com/project-launched-to-revamp-water-networks-in-madaba