AMMAN — Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Soud on Thursday stressed the need to maintain precautionary measures and readiness amid continued rainfall, as King Talal Dam approaches 95 per cent of its storage capacity.

During a field visit to the dam, Abu Soud was accompanied by Jordan Valley Authority Secretary-General Hisham Hisah, along with engineers and technical staff overseeing operations at the facility, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister reviewed the ongoing transfer of floodwater from the Wadi Al Arab pumping station via the King Abdullah Canal to Wadi Al Arab Dam, with an additional capacity of 125,000 cubic metres.

The upgrade followed rehabilitation and development works at the station, including the installation of four new pumps and the reinforcement of the system with a 1,000mm-diameter transmission pipeline, aimed at maximising the capture of floodwater and storing it for use during the summer season.

Abu Soud also urged stakeholders to ensure coordination with farmers and water user associations, calling for the sustained supply of water to farmers to enable the filling of agricultural ponds within Jordan Valley farming units, allowing for the storage of the largest possible quantities of rainwater and floodwater.

Six dams across the Kingdom have reached full storage capacity following the latest weather system, which brought widespread rainfall, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Jordan Valley Authority said.

Highlighting that the rainfall boosted inflows to most dams nationwide, the ministry said that the dams that reached full capacity are Wadi Al Karak Dam in Karak, Lajoun Dam in Karak, Shaydhim Dam in Tafileh, Mujib Dam in Karak, Wadi Shuayb Dam in Balqa and Ibn Hammad Dam in Karak.

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