Amman: Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh spoke Monday of the water challenge Jordan faces, but referred to “a comfortable” rain season, particularly in the south, where dams, which were almost empty in the past three years, are now full.
“The present storage level in southern dams will enable us to respond to most of the water needs”, he told lawmakers during a Lower House oversight session, adding that the Ministry of water and Irrigation was also stepping up efforts by digging more wells and curbing excess consumption of water in Karak Governorate.
The government is also looking for any other sources of water in addition to the major Disi Water Conveyance Project, provided there is a financial feasibility and the capacity to meet the needs of the local community, added.
Denying a claim by a lawmaker about high levels of radioactivity in Disi waters, the premier said a station to treat the water and reduce radiation levels has been in place there since the water system, which carries water from the southern Disi basin to various parts of the Kingdom, was launched.
“We cannot supply Karak with untreated water,” he stressed.
The prime minister also dismissed a lawmaker’s remark that questioned national sovereignty regarding water supplies from outside sources.
Source: Jordan News Agency