Hana Namrouqa, The Jordan Times

AMMAN — A company will be established soon to manage water and wastewater services in Zarqa Governorate, home to 15.7 per cent of the Kingdom's population, a senior government official said on Monday.

The company, which will be the fourth of its kind in Jordan, will also be responsible for managing water services in Balqa Governorate, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mousa Jamani said yesterday.

"The water companies were established to improve water supply, not to privatise water in Jordan. The water companies in Aqaba, Amman, Irbid and soon in Zarqa, seek to improve water efficiency and bill collection," Jamani said yesterday.

He made the remarks during a ceremony organised by the ministry and the UNDP to mark World Water Day, which is celebrated annually on March 22 to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources, according to unwater.org

Highlighting Jordan's critical water situation, Jamani noted that even with improving water efficiency, reducing water loss and wisely managing every drop of water, the country will still suffer from a water deficit.

A significant increase in population has led to a sharp decrease in per capita water availability in Jordan, which dropped from 3,600 cubic metres in 1946 to 145 cubic metres in 2008.

Water demand will rise to 1,673 million cubic metres (mcm) and the water deficit will surge from the current 457mcm to 659mcm within a decade, as the Kingdom's population is projected to exceed 7.8 million by 2022.

"The only long-term solution for the Kingdom's water scarcity is desalination. Studies for the Red-Dead project are nearing completion. Once the results out, the stakeholders will discuss the implementation phases," Jamani said yesterday.

The project is part of international efforts to save the Dead Sea, which has been shrinking at the rate of one metre per year, largely due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River for agricultural and industrial use.

Initial plans for the mega-venture propose pumping one billion cubic metres of water annually from the Red Sea into the rapidly shrinking Dead Sea to stop its depletion.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Water and Irrigation Assistant Secretary General and Spokesperson Adnan Zu’bi called on public, private and civic institutions to collaborate in order to reduce water consumption in Jordan by adopting environment-friendly practices.

"It is important to preserve water resources from depletion and pollution for the current and future generations," added Zu’bi, who is also president of the Jordanian Society for the Conservation of Water.

Jordan is recognised as the fourth water-poorest nation in the world, according to the ministry, which constantly urges households to install water-saving devices that can reduce water consumption by up to 30 per cent.