Water minister outlines gov’t efforts to combat water theft 

AMMAN — Speaking during a session titled "Sustainable Resources" during the "A Year of Modernisation" forum on Saturday, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar detailed the government’s efforts to tackle water loss and water theft.

In his address, Najjar said that the ministry has capped 1,458 illegal wells and has detected 86,616 cases of illegal siphoning from water pipelines since the launch of its 2013 campaign aimed at controlling water sources.

During the first half of this year, 5,134 illegal use of water pipeline cases were detected, he added. 

Highlighting other ministry projects, Najjar announced that infrastructure work has begun on the project to supply natural gas to the Aqaba Industrial Zone. Furthermore, the ministry has launched the renovation project targeting the Zara Ma'in water station, which supplies Amman with 100,000 cubic metres of water. 

He also noted that the ministry is currently implementing water loss reduction and energy costs cutting strategies through the biogas project at the Aqaba purification plant.

The ministry has also taken measures to protect the Wadi Shuaib Dam from sediment entering the dam's lake.

Other achievements include the inauguration of the Fidan Dam in Wadi Araba, which has a storage capacity of 5.3 million cubic metres, and currently holds approximately 1.2 million cubic metres of water.

Additionally, an agreement has been signed for a treated water transmission line between the central purification stations in Irbid and the Wadi Araba sewage station, Najjar said.

The minister also announced that the ministry has plans to create a roadmap for the National Electricity and Power Company (NEPCO), which will amend water source protection regulations, implement energy efficiency projects and expand sewage and wastewater treatment services.