PM warns nation threatened by “real thirst” if water solutions not expedited
shahennews
Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh has warned that Jordan, now and in the future, is threatened by “a real thirst unless we rush to implement all possible water solutions.”
“The water poverty we have reached is unprecedented and threatens the level and quality of life for our current and future generations,” the Prime Minister told a Lower House of Parliament session on Wednesday, dedicated to discussing a declaration of intent the Kingdom has recently signed with the UAE and Israel to negotiate the feasibility of a joint energy-for-water project.
He noted that the annual all-use per capita share of water in Jordan is about 90 cubic meters, while the global water poverty line is 500 cubic meters annually. Khasawneh warned that if the water situation continues as it is currently, the annual per capita share will drop to 60 cubic meters by 2040, according to reliable national and international scientific studies.
He said that the “declaration of intent is based on two interrelated, simultaneous and interdependent projects, one of which cannot be implemented without the other, to eventually enable Jordan to obtain an additional 200 million cubic meters of water annually if the two projects prove to be feasible”.
The Prime Minister stressed that the national water carrier, which is hoped to provide the capital, Amman and other regions across the Kingdom, with desalinated seawater from the Gulf of Aqaba, is “irreversible,” noting that the government will float the project’s tender “very soon”.
However, Khasawneh noted that the desalinated water to be provided by the national carrier project will enable the Kingdom to maintain the current per capita share of water until 2040, and “it will not be sufficient to increase the supply to the agriculture, industry and tourism sectors that drive employment and growth”.
“Therefore, Jordan’s need for additional water sources to meet its growing needs and stimulate growth in vital economic sectors is urgent and immediate. Accordingly, it is inevitable to quickly secure additional water sources,” the premier underlined.
The Prime Minister concluded by saying: “Every day we delay in implementing strategic and sustainable solutions and projects that provide additional and new quantities of water threatens our present and future generations,” stressing that his government “will remain committed to its national duty and will not accept that its hesitation will cause Jordanians to thirst in the future.”
//Petra// AA
