Local committee in Jordan rejects water pipeline development connecting Israel

Jordan Valley planning and building committee has rejected a proposal for constructing a pipeline aimed at transporting water from Israel to Jordan.

The proposal, forwarded by Mekorot water company, has already received negative reactions from the local residents and environmental groups as it is expected to undermine the efforts for rehabilitating the Jordan River.

The decision, however, is likely to be reviewed by an appeals committee and can be reversed, reports Haaretz.com.

Environmentalists opine that instead of sending water through pipeline, efforts should be made to rehabilitate the Jordan river and increase its flow.

Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, an environmental non-profit organisation, spokesperson Giora Shaham was cited by the Israeli news source as saying that water, if provided through the river, can ensure its freshness and also allow for supply increases in future.

Earlier this month, the two countries had announced advancements of their cross-border water sharing and swapping initiatives with the issue of initial tendering documents for the ‘Red-Dead’ project.

The $800m deal for the project was signed by the end of February this year. It involved construction of pipelines connecting the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

Four pipelines are planned to be developed under the project which, when operational, is expected to have a capacity to deliver two billion m³ of water.

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Image: Jordan partnered with Israel to restore water to the Dead Sea in February. Photo: Courtesy of David Shankbone / Wikipedia