Gov’t signs deal to build new dam in Mafraq Governorate

AMMAN — Government officials on Monday signed an agreement to build a Dam in Unaizah, in the Jawa region of Mafraq. 

The agreement was signed by Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Ali Kooz, Royal Engineering Corps Director Brig. Gen. Khaled Shanteer and Director of the Environment Ministry’s Environmental Compensation Department Mohammed Jazi.

The agreement stipulates a dam 13 metres high, 190 metres long and with a capacity of 300,000m3 of water. The dam will be built by personnel from the Engineering Corps, under the supervision of the Jordan Valley Authority.  

“The Water Ministry is working with the Environmental Compensation Department... to improve the results of water harvesting and water-storage capacity,” Kooz said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

 “The dam will contribute to rehabilitating farmlands, creating suitable conditions for livestock and providing jobs for the people of the region,” Kooz stated.

Jazi added that the implementation of water-harvesting projects in the northern, central and southern regions of Badia would serve in increasing the capacity of rainwater usage, provide water sources for livestock and farming, and help mitigate the effects of droughts. 

Jazi said that five dams and 103 water-harvesting projects were implemented between 2011 and 2018.