KfW to fund Jordan water projects

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Jordan and the German Development Bank (KfW) have signed a €30m loan agreement to improve water supply and sanitation in the country.

As part of the improvements, al Karak purification station will almost double its capacity to 5,500 million cubic metres. Farms in the Northern Jordan Valley will also be rehabilitated with new agricultural irrigation.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Nasser said that in order to carry out new water and sanitation projects the water sector management was seeking international aid and grants to raise their efficiency in the north of the country.

The ministry will also build new networks to provide water for agriculture in the northern Jordan Valley region, while taking measures to minimise lost water.

Under a medium-term plan, the new projects involve construction of a line from Zaatari, which is part of the Disi water conveyance project, to carry ten million cubic metres of water to northern governorates.

As estimated by KfW Deputy Director Sawsan Aruri, around 4.1 million people will benefit from the plan as a result of the secure supply as well as the sustainable management of scarce water resources.