Amman, Jordan, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Eng. Mohammad al-Najjar, recently unveiled that the high buildings and towers shall bear all the costs of water and sewage Networks.
In the morning Program "Amman this Morning", broadcast by "Hawa Amman FM 105.9", the Minister added that whenever these buildings or towers are erected within the expansion and modernization plans of the Ministry, a percentage of the impact of such buildings on the network expansions shall be calculated and charged to the concerned party (i.e. the high buildings).
Al-Najjar said, that the existence of these buildings necessitates restudying the already prepared plans (5 year plans) for the purpose of expanding or modernizing the networks, taking into consideration the rising financial cost to execute these plans.
The Minister declared during the program presented by Ahmad Faheem, that the Ministry has finalized future plans and projects for the water sector, adding that these undertakings shall be executed at the beginning of the coming year, and shall require sizable financial investments, and such investment are to address all the problems that the water sector in Jordan is suffering from.
He further added that these plans and projects will minimize the gap between the mounting demand on water, as a result of population increase, and the available quantities of the scarce water recourses which are so costly to get to the citizens.
Eng. Al-Najjar Delineated that the first step is represented in the rehabilitation of all the water and sewage networks in the capital and the rest of the governorates, with proper diameters for the new water recourses, in addition to readiness to absorb the mounting building and population increase in Jordan.
The Government, according to the Minister has already embarked on executing Al-Desi Project, one of the most important projects, that is bound to supply the Capital and the Kingdom governorates with the necessary quantities of water, as it is expected to come into effect at the beginning of the year 2013.
In response to a question posed by the presenter, the minister said that the percentage of the water waste in the capital in the last few years has decreased by 35%, pointing out that the water sector constantly witnesses recurring assaults that affect the supply process.
Next month, the Ministry shall commence executing the plans, specially drafted to limit the water waste and that resulting from recurring assaults or malfunctions in the water meters, said Eng. Al-Najjar, who stressed that such assaults are not limited only to the water networks, but also to drilling for water in the areas supplying the Capital and the Governorates with water.
As for interruption of water supplies, Eng. Al-Najjar stressed that it is attributed to the interruption of electricity current, especially that pumping water recourses depends on electricity. From another angle, water supplies are interrupted for short intervals as a result of muddiness which may affect some shallow resources such as King Abdullah Channel or the Desalination Station in the Dead Sea area, especially in winter time.
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© Press Release 2010
