Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Monday checked on service facilities and development projects in Balqa Governorate as part of inspection tours he paid across the Kingdom.
Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Local Administration Tawfiq Krishan, Governor of Balqaa Firas Abu Qaoud and deputies of Balqa Governorate, Khasawneh checked firsthand on the progress of work on the Homrat al-Sahn road project that connects Salt City and the Jordan Valley, was briefed on the progress of work at the Zai water treatment plant and visited Al-Hussein Hospital in Salt.
During a visit to Balqa Governorate six months ago, the prime minister ordered the implementation of the Homrat al-Sahn-Deir Alla Road project as an alternative to the old Arda-Jordan Valley road, which is currently closed for maintenance work.
Minister of Public Works and Housing Maher Abu Al-Samen told the premier that the 9.5-KM road project will be finished later this month.
Khasawneh also checked on the progress of work to rehabilitate Zai water station, a key source of drinking water in the Kingdom that supplies the capital, Amman, with about 40 percent of its needs, and about 50 percent for the Balqa and Central regions.
He called for a steady supply of high quality drinking water to citizens, stressing the importance of water quality control system used at the Zai station, which tracks the quality of the water coming from the King Abdullah Canal until it reaches the station and is re-pumped to citizens.
Khasawneh also called for raising awareness about preserving water, especially that Jordan is one of the three water poorest countries in the world.
The Prime Minister was briefed by Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad Najjar and engineers at the station on up-to-date technology used in treating the water at the Zai station through 12 filters as well as regular laboratory tests of potable water.
Rehabilitation work is currently underway at Zai station, at an estimated cost of $10.5 million, which includes the rehabilitation of the main facilities in the station, according to latest international standards, and is expected to be completed in May.
During a tour of Al-Hussein Hospital in Salt, the Prime Minister spoke of the need to provide best health service to the public as he listened to complaints by patients and visitors.
Health Minister Firas Hawari gave a briefing on the services offered by the 405-bed hospital, which was established in 2020, adding that it recently started conducting heart surgeries and catheterization and opened an intensive care unit for cardiac surgery with a capacity of 8 beds and a neonatal intensive care department with a capacity of 5 beds.
Source: Jordan News Agency