Sep 17,2017
AMMAN — Environment Minister Yaseen Khayyat on Saturday said that the ministry has constructed 79 sand and two ordinary dams to collect of 6.4 million cubic metres (mcm) of rain water annually, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Khayyat stressed that the dams were built as breeders have been suffering from water scarcity for their cattle, which forces them to travel long distances, therefore increasing cost and efforts.

In a press statement carried by Petra, Khayyat said that the ministry has established an environment compensation programme with the support of the UN to rehabilitate the ecosystems and pastures in the Jordanian badia (semi-desert area).

He noted that the ministry has drafted a plan that includes creating sand dams in the Northern, Central and Southern Badias to harvest rain water and provide water for cattle, enhance underground water, mitigate desertification effects, and irrigate pastoral bushes.

He added that the ministry has implemented the programme in cooperation with the Water Ministry, represented by the Jordan Valley Authority through four agreements.

In the Northern Badia, the ministry has built 26 sand dams and one large dam with a storage capacity of 2.6 mcm.

The ministry has constructed 13 sand dams in the Central Badia with a capacity of 700, 000 mcm and 40 sand dams and a large dam to store 3.1 mcm in the Southern Badia.

Work is currently under way to construct five sand dams to stock up 400,000 cm, according to the minister.

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/81-dams-constructed-across-kingdom%E2%80%99s-badias-%E2%80%94-ministry