AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Monday launched an updated version of the Water Sources Protection Instructions for 2025, aimed at boosting regulatory control over activities affecting the Kingdom’s increasingly scarce water resources.

Secretary-General of the ministry Jihad Mahamid said that the revised instructions provide a precise regulatory framework defining permitted, restricted and prohibited activities within water protection zones, based on updated technical maps and recent scientific studies, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

He noted that the instructions will serve as a core reference to be circulated to all ministries and public institutions, guiding the preparation of master plans and the licensing of facilities and projects in a manner that safeguards the quality and integrity of water sources.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, attended by German embassy representative Sarah Thaqleq and Laura Neuhofen of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Mahamid stressed that Jordan’s annual per capita water share has fallen to below 61 cubic metres, underscoring the severity of the Kingdom’s water crisis.

He added that updating the protection instructions represents a strategic step towards restoring balance to water resources, particularly groundwater, to secure the needs of future generations and address the widening national water deficit.

For her part, Thaqleq said that water preservation and sustainability became a national priority, requiring extensive cooperation among all stakeholders, noting that Germany continues to provide technical and institutional support to Jordan’s water sector in confronting mounting challenges.

Neuhofen said that the updated instructions are the result of close technical cooperation between BGR and the ministry, and are designed to apply the best international practices in the management of scarce water resources.

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