Farms in Qastal caught stealing 5,400 cubic metres of water per day

AMMAN — Authorities have discovered illegal fixtures on the Qastal to south Amman water main, diverting more than 450 cubic metres per hour to irrigate farms and sell to the public via tankers, an official source said Saturday.

Water Ministry cadres in cooperation with the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) detected the violations, which were facilitating the theft of 5,400 cubic metres of water every day, the source told the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The Water Ministry, in coordination with the administrative governor at the Interior Ministry, the Royal Badia Forces and the Gendarmerie Department, sent a taskforce that raided the violating farms and disconnected the illegal pipes.

One of the farms, located on a main road in the Qastal area, used two pipelines that extended over 400 metres, diverting a total of 175 cubic metres per hour to two “huge” reservoirs, each with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres, and from which water was pumped to the rest of the farm, according to Petra.

Technical cadres at the Water Ministry worked with emergency and maintenance  personnel from Miyahuna to disconnect the illegal fixtures.

The violators were referred to the public prosecutor for the proper legal measures to be taken against them.

The teams raided several other farms in the area, disconnected the illegal fixtures and referred the suspects to the prosecutor, according to the source, who added that putting a stop to the violations saved a daily amount of 5,400 cubic metres of water, Petra reported.

The Water Authority of Jordan’s Law stipulates that those who abuse water carriers and mains, wastewater, pumping, purification or desalination stations; or cause the pollution of water resources, pipes or stations used for drinking water; and dig or are involved in the digging of wells without obtaining a licence, will be jailed for up to five years and fined up to JD7,000.

In addition, violators of water and wastewater projects will be jailed for up to three years and fined up to JD5,000, according to the law’s recent amendments.