Jordan: Batrawi reservoir to raise per capita water availability in Zarqa

Work on a 14,000-cubic metre water reservoir that will serve Zarqa residents is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2010, Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud said on Tuesday.

The Batrawi Service Reservoir is being built under the second phase of a Japanese-financed project to improve the water supply in the Zarqa District that also includes extending water pipelines stretching over 3.7 kilometres.

Categorised as one of the four water-poorest nations in the world, Jordan has a water deficit currently that stands at 12.7 million cubic metres.

The total cost of the project (phase II) stands at about $25 million, according to a Japanese embassy statement.

Phase II of the project, which started in 2007, aims at improving water supply conditions and increasing actual water availability from 84 litres per day per person in Zarqa, to 113 litres. This will be achieved by reducing the leakage percentage from 31 per cent to 25 per cent by distributing water at an appropriate pressure and optimum water distribution management in north Zarqa, Hashemiyeh and Sukhna municipalities, the statement indicated.

In a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday to lay the cornerstone for the reservoir, Abu Saud stressed the significance of the project for Zarqa, which he said is among the governorates that need the most attention.

The minister noted that the Japan International Cooperation Agency's support to the Kingdom’s water sector totalled about JD232 million over the past years.

Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador Tetsuo Shioguchi highlighted his country's support to the water sector in Jordan, emphasising that the project will help achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

"Due to its shortage and scarcity, water is a serious problem which Jordan is facing and is a most-challenging issue to all nations around the world,” he said at yesterday’s ceremony.

“The government of Japan has specifically addressed this important issue as a basis not only for the well-being of humans and health, but also for the conservation of the ecosystem and all economic activities," the ambassador added.