USAID provides $20.5m grant to Aqaba Water Company to reduce water loss

AMMAN — The Water Ministry on Tuesday signed a cooperation and support agreement with USAID worth $22.55 million to reduce water loss in the southern governorates and provide 1.2 million cubic metres of water annually.

According to a ministry statement, the agreement comes as a grant to the Aqaba Water Company (AWC) to support the company's projects in managing and operating water services in the governorate. 

Director-General of the AWC Khaled Obaidien signed the agreement. 

At the signing ceremony, Water Minister Mohammad Najjar said that reducing water loss and increasing the quality of services are top priorities for the water sector to achieve the national water strategy goals 2023-2040. 

Najjar said that USAID will provide a grant of $20.5 million, while the AWC will cover the remainder.

He extended the government's appreciation for the extensive and ongoing support provided by the US government and people through USAID, as this assistance helps strengthen efforts to curb challenges the Kingdom faces in the water sector. 

The agreement aims to enhance the AWC's management and planning capacity by deploying experts from consultation companies, supporting implementation and capacity-building in project management for all employees, transferring expertise and providing technical support to staff working on operational systems and remote control. 

Director of the Water and Environment Office at USAID Andrew McKim said that the ongoing cooperation with the ministry seeks to achieve envisioned goals and support the future water strategy.

In the long term, the project aims to improve water supply to each of the southern governorates and improve planning of future needs and quantities, which will help design and support the implementation of the national water strategy, as well as support the ministry's goal to reach the annual target of 2 per cent water loss reduction in order to reduce water loss to 25 per cent by 2040.

The agreement is part of the Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA), which is a series of financing deals from USAID, signed previously to reduce water loss for all Jordanian water companies.