Minister of Water Muhammad Najjar on Sunday said the Kingdom is expecting a water supply shortage of 40 million cubic meters in 2021 following low annual precipitation.
The minister told lawmakers that the ministry has already been pursuing other options to meet demand, including the drilling of artisan wells and the rental of some private sector-owned wells.
During a meeting with members of the Lower House of Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Water, Najjar said the Kingdom has received its full water share from Lake Tiberias, but still not enough to address the current supply crisis.
He revealed that talks were underway with Syria to provide the Kingdom with larger quantities of water, adding that other options include increasing pumping from the Disi aquifer, something which the minister said needs financial resources.
Nevertheless, the minister said the water shortage “will not greatly affect” the quantities of water supplied to citizens, and will not have an impact on the supply rotation system applied across the Kingdom.
For their part, the lawmakers urged the government to use all agreements concluded with regional countries to increase the quantities of water and address the water deficit that the Kingdom suffers from, and to take all measures, plans and strategies that enhance water supply in the Kingdom.
Source: Jordan News Agency