New water network scheduled to improve Maan supply ­— officials

AMMAN — A new water network will be installed in two areas of Maan Governorate to improve water supply and reduce loss, which stands at 40 per cent, government officials said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has signed an agreement with a local contractor to install new main and tertiary water pipes in Petra District and Ayla Municipality in Maan, in a bid to rehabilitate the network and improve water supply to the two areas, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

"The ministry aims to complete water supply projects in different parts of the country to prevent water cuts and irregularities in the supply during summer…," Nasser said.

He noted that the project is part of government efforts to improve services and infrastructure in communities hosting Syrian refugees, especially in the water and wastewater sector.

The project will cost $80,000, according to ministry spokesperson Omar Salameh, who noted that the project is funded by the Saudi government under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) grant.

In 2011, the GCC allocated $5 billion to finance development projects in Jordan between 2012 and 2016. Some $425.4 million of the grant has been allocated for water and sanitation projects.

Located 220 kilometres south of the capital, Maan Governorate’s daily per capita share of water stands at 80 litres, according to the ministry, which said that water loss due to deteriorating networks and violations is affecting supply to residents.

The governorate’s population currently stands at 144,083, according to the 2015 census.

The ministry is implementing several water projects in the southern governorate and has recently announced the start of operation of three new wells in Petra District, at a capacity of 600 cubic metres per hour to improve supply in the desert town.

The three new wells were part of a project to provide additional water to the residents of Petra District and adjacent villages. It entailed the construction of water reservoirs, operation rooms and the installation of 12 kilometres of pipelines to serve over 27,000 people.