Agreement signed to put to use sediments from Kingdom’s dams

AMMAN — An agreement to utilise sediments in dams was signed on Thursday “for the first time in the Kingdom’s history”, according to a Water Ministry statement. 

Under the agreement, the ministry and the Jordan Valley Authority will be implementing a programme in cooperation with local industries to benefit from the sediments in dams, increasing their capacity to hold more water and improving the overall quality of water, the statement cited the authority’s secretary general, Ali Kouz, as saying. 

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abul Saud,  Kouz and officials in the water sector, the statement said, noting that the agreement is part of the Water Ministry’s strategy to improve the investment environment, stimulate the national economy and create more jobs, in addition to boosting public-private partnership. 

The minister said that test results showed that the sediments in dams in certain locations can be used as materials for national industries. 

The agreement aligns with the ministry’s plans to clean dams, preserve their storage capacity and provide materials that could help local industries at reasonable prices, according to the statement. 

Abul Saud noted that the ministry is seeking to expand its partnership with the private sector and increase the number of dams in the Kingdom to better benefit from rainfall, following the necessary technical measures to ensure the sustainability of the dams.