Development of The Water Sector
Due to the arid and semi-arid climate, the sound management of water resources has been an issue in Jordan since the establishment of the Kingdom in 1946 and before.
Institutional shifts. In 1959, the Central Water Authority was created with the responsibility for municipal water supply, centralizing a function that was previously the responsibility of municipalities. In 1965, it merged with an irrigation agency to become the National Resources Authority (NRA), only to be split again to become the Domestic Water Supply Corporation in 1974 and the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) in 1983. The latter was subordinated under the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) when it was created in 1988, thus institutionally separating policy-making from service provision.
Private sector participation. Major reforms were undertaken in 1993 when it was decided to bring in a private company under a management contract to run the water and sanitation system of Amman. An important motivation for this step was to increase cost recovery. The management contract ended in 2007 when a subsidiary of WAJ, Miyahuna, took over the management of the system.
National Water Master Plan. A digital National Water Master Plan was launched in 2004. It is an integrated plan that enables decision makers to set polices and strategies based on planning scenarios derived from sectoral water consumption trends. The Master Plan is based on the Water Information System (WIS) which contains all monitoring data related to demands and resources.
National Water Strategy. In May 2009, King Abdullah gave the go-ahead for a National Water Strategy until 2022. The strategy includes investments of Jordanian Dinar 5.86 billion (USD 8.24 billion) over a period of 15 years, corresponding to more than 160% of Jordan's GDP. It also foresees a decreasing reliance on groundwater from 32 percent in 2007 to 17 percent, increased use of treated wastewater in agriculture from 10 percent to 13 percent and increased use of desalination from 1 percent to 31 percent. According to then-Minister of Water, Raed Abu Soud, even after the completion of the Disi Water Conveyance Project, the water deficit in 2022 will still be about 500 million cubic metres, highlighting the need for desalination under the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal. The strategy also envisages institutional reforms such as enacting a new water law, separating operational from administrative functions, as well as production from distribution operations, creating a Water Council with advisory functions and establishing a Water Regulatory Commission.
Read more about this topic: Water Supply And Sanitation In Jordan
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