‘Authorities nab suspects caught drilling illegal well in Irbid raid’

AMMAN — Authorities have arrested several suspects caught digging an illegal well, and seized the drilling rig they were using in Irbid Governorate, a government official said on Sunday.

A team from the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) and security forces raided a farm in the Taibeh District after receiving information that people were digging an illegal well in the area, the official at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said.

“After following up on the report, the team raided the location of the drilling after midnight,” the official told The Jordan Times.

The team sealed the illegal well, towed away the drilling rig to WAJ’s workshops and arrested the suspects who tried to escape, he added.

“An investigation is currently under way with the suspects, while security forces are tracking down the owner of the farm where the illegal drilling took place,” the official noted.

The ministry banned the drilling of water wells in 1997 to limit random pumping of water and preserve aquifers from depletion and salinity. There are 1,318 wells across the country, of which more than 400 are unlicensed or illegal, according to ministry figures.

International studies indicate that water levels at several aquifers have been dropping at a rate of one metre per year, according to the ministry, which noted that more than 50 million cubic metres of underground water are being extracted in indiscriminate pumping.

The ministry said it was pressing ahead with the national campaign launched in 2013 to end violations on water networks and resources. 

Authorities have stopped around 23,000 violations on water mains and resources since the campaign was launched.

The ministry has also sealed 758 illegal wells in cooperation with security forces.

Water theft in Jordan is blamed for 70 per cent of water loss, according to the ministry, which indicated that around 110 million cubic metres of water have been saved since authorities launched the campaign.

The amended WAJ Law stipulates stiffer penalties against those who abuse any element of the water system.

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 those who dig or are involved in the digging of wells without obtaining a licence face a prison sentence of up to five years and fines of up to JD7,000.

In addition, violators of water and wastewater projects are jailed for up to three years and fined up to JD5,000 under the amendments.

All penalties stipulated under the law are doubled in the case of repeat offences.