Waterauth

COMPANY PROFILE

2014

WATER AUTHORITY OF JORDAN

www.waj.gov.jo/sites/en-us/ | +962 6 5680100

Providing a solution to Jordan’s water shortages Editorial: Harriet Pattison

Ranked amongst the top three most water-scarce countries in the world, Jordan has been in talks for decades to come up with a solution to neutralise this deficit. With record dry rainy seasons in recent years and the arrival of around two million Syrian refugees, Total World Energy speaks to the Water Authority of Jordan’s Secretary General, HE Eng. Tawfiq Al-Habashneh, to discuss the proposed Red-Dead Sea Project which is hoping to increase Jordan’s resources by 2018.

Since 1983, the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), is responsible for the development and protection of the country’s water sources, sewage services and the provision of water to ensure the requirements of its residents are met.

Coupled with one of the driest rainy seasons in recent decades and with the influx of refugees from Syria, now at an estimated two million, Jordan is classified

With the ongoing water shortages that the country is facing, Total World Energy speaks to Secretary General, HE Eng. Tawfiq Al-Habashneh to discuss what the Water Authority of Jordan is planning to help the country and its population, and how future projects will help combat these water scarcities for the next generation.

Joining the Authority from its inception, Mr Al-Habashneh

responsible for planning and finance. Secondly, the Water Authority of Jordan which covers all the water and wastewater aspects; and the third entity, the Jordan Authority, is responsible for Jordan in terms of water distribution at the Jordan Valley and dams.”

A quick and effective solution is needed to help the water deficit affecting the northern and central parts of Jordan over the

as the 4th poorest country in terms of water shortage where the annual share per capita is around 145m3 per year compared to international poverty line which come up to 1000 M3 per year.

explains: “Our mandate is to manage and regulate the water works within the Kingdom. The structure of the Water Authority consists of three entities: Firstly, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) which is

coming years.

PAGE 2

THE DEEP WELLS PILOT PROJECT WAJ started a new pilot project to obtain water from the low levels where, from next year, WAJ

WATER AUTHORITY OF JORDAN will begin construction on the Augmentation of Water Supply for Central and Northern Jordan from the Deep Aquifer (Sheediyya –Al Hasa).

THE RED-DEAD SEA PROJECT In August 2013, the Jordanian government announced that it would move ahead with the first phase of the project with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last December between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

The Red-Dead Sea Project will be implemented by mid-2018 and will help to provide potable water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, it will generate electricity to support the energy needs of the project and will help to stabilise the Dead Sea water level.

“The Red Sea proje c t i s a h u g e project so we h a ve tri ed t o divide it bec a u se i t ’s

so c ost l y, ” e xpl a in s M r AlHa ba sh n e h . “If w e d id it in on e st a ge i t w ould c o s t m o re t h a n U S $10 bi l l io n s o w e di vi de d i t . Th e fir s t s t a g e is t h e de sa l i n a t i on of t h e w a t e r f ro m t h e Re d S e a a n d w e h o p e t o ge t a rou n d 100 m illio n c u b ic m e t e rs ( m c m ) f ro m t h is . ” The Red Sea Dead Sea Water Conveyor (RSDSWC) plan involves the development of a desalination plant at the Aqaba port in Jordan which will refine between 80 - 100 mcm annually and will be shared between the participating countries; Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The aim of the plant is to produce up to 100 mcm per year for Jordan. In a statement, the Project Manager for the RedDead Sea programme at the Ministry, Nabeel Zoubi explained: “W ith this, we will have solved Jordan’s problems at least for the next 20 years.”

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES Of course, as with so many large-scale projects, there are challenges to be faced.

The overall cost, at an estimated US$10 billion, is raising questions; as are the environmental impacts involved in delivering brine into the Dead Sea through a 180km pipeline.

There are further concerns that the project will be located along the Rift Valley which remains seismically active.

However, the Red-Dead Sea Project looks set to be the only suitable solution that will bring the Kingdom and surrounding regions fresh, clean water.

Importantly and although controversial, the use of brine will help to assist in the revival of the Dead Seawith statistics highlighting its surface area is shrinking by an estimated 30% in the last 20 years alone.

“The service of the dead sea decreases yearly by about one

Secretary General, HE Eng. Tawfiq Al-Habashneh

PAGE 3

meter so for the environment, it’s a big challenge for us in how we can treat it,” explains Mr AlHabashneh.

More than the challenges of the project itself, Mr Al-Habashneh explains the challenges that face the WAJ if the project does not go ahead as planned: “The big challenge for us is the huge amount of refugees,” he explains.

“We now have around 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, these get around 21% of our drinking water, the whole amount for production from the water for the drinking water so this is a big challenge for the country.

Also, the annual growth is at an all-time high at 2.7%, so we have to think about the future and the water needed to serve our citizens.

“Another challenge we face at WAJ is finance,” Mr AlHabashneh says. “We have limited resources, so it is difficult to finance the project. Jordan is classified as the third poorest country for water shortage. Our annual capital is around 100 cubic meter which is below

PAGE 4

the average of around 1000 cubic meter. But with good management at the WAJ we deal with that and we get a sufficient level for drinking water and for other purposes.”

To understand just where the water is being used and why Jordan is amongst the top countries struggling for clean and safe drinking water, it is

“We have 27 treatment plants all over the country and we treat around 120 mcm a year” estimated the Zaatari Camp in Jordan, home to over 92,000 Syrian refugees, uses more than one million litres of water every single day.

It’s no wonder then the Water

Ministry issued a report earlier this year detailing the concern over drinking water supplies over the summer months and noting that Jordan only received 31.3% of its annual precipitation over winter which left dams at just 43% of their capacity. Jordan now has an annual per capita supply of 145 cubic metre, which has decreased dramatically from 360 cubic metres recorded in 1946.

WATER RE-USE PROGRAM In addition to the proposed project, Mr Al-Habashneh explains the WAJ is responsible for the treatment of waste water: “We have 27 treatment plants all over the country and we treat around 120 mcm a year.”

But explains that overpopulation is also challenging the WAJ with its dependence on ground water: “80% of our drinking water comes from wells from the ground water and the remaining 20% comes from surface water which is from the Jordan Valley.”

According to the Government of Jordan’s 2010-2022 Water Strategy, ground water currently makes up

WATER AUTHORITY OF JORDAN

“XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX”

54% of total supply but remains challenged due to the inevitable population growth, agricultural expansion and the ground water sources, located across Jordan, which continue to be overexploited.

Access to surface water is also limited due to transboundary agreements between the neighbouring countries.

Looking to the future and Mr AlHabashneh explains the Red-Dead Sea Project remains the best solution for these drastic and dangerously low water shortages in Jordan.

“We have to look at the RedDead Sea project in a general way for the regions that will be involved: Jordan, Israel and the Palestine authority. With the amount of water it will create over time, this will be distributed around the three countries.

“We have good general experience that we have built up since 1983 on how to deal with the shortage of water. By managing all these issues, we have done a good job and if we make these projects work, I think we will be in good shape, certainly until 2025,” concludes Mr Al-Habashneh

“SERVING THE NATURAL RESOURCES INDUSTRY” 240 Mecca Street, P.O. Box 1872 11118 Amman, Jordan Tel: +962-6-5861314 Fax: +962-6-5861315

www.sitegroupco.com

e-mail: site@sitegroupco.com

PAGE 5

+44 (0) 1603 411569 info@totalworldenergy.com East Coast Promotions Ltd, 2 Ardney Rise Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3QH

www.totalworldenergy.com