The percentage of water waste in Amman in the last few years has decreased by 35 per cent, stated Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad al-Najjar.

The Minister was taking part in the program “Amman this Morning”, broadcast by “Hawa Amman FM 105.9”.

He said that high buildings and towers shall henceforth bear all the costs of water and sewage networks. He added that whenever these buildings or towers are erected within the expansion and modernisation 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 (ie. 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 modernising the networks, taking into consideration the rising financial cost to execute these plans.

The Minister declared during the program that the Ministry has finalised 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 sizeable financial investments, and such investments are to address all the problems that the water sector in Jordan is suffering from.

He further added that these plans and projects will minimise 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.
 
The Minister said 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.-TradeArabia News Service