Jordan Times
Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Government launches master plan to control water deficit
By Rami Abdelrahman
DEAD SEA The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Tuesday announced the launch
of the digital National Water Master Plan 2005-2020, designed to keep the
current water deficit from expanding.
According to Secretary General Saad Bakri recent
figures put the deficit in 2003 at 561 million cubic metres (mcm).The figure is
the difference between total water demand of 1,376mcm and available water of
815mcm.
The master plan is aiming at a deficit of 1,276mcm in 2020. It estimates that
total water demand will increase to 1,665mcm by that year, Bakri told reporters
on the sidelines of the International Water Demand Management Conference at the
Dead Sea.
The National Water Master Plan, developed through the Water Sector Planning
Support Team and executed by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), utilises
customised software modules to achieve water balances until the year 2020.
Water, Irrigation and Agriculture Minister Hazem Nasser told conference
participants on opening day that the plan would balance requirements for the
country's economic development and the sustainability of its ecosystems. The
head of the GTZ team, Phillip Magiera, told The Jordan Times the plan looks at
all angles of integrated water resources management, through water resources
monitoring and development to water sector economics.
Hundreds of delegates gathered on the shores of the Dead Sea yesterday for a
third day of talks on dwindling world water resources amid calls by experts for
a collective integrated management effort.
During a session on the Jordanian experience in applying integrated water
management methods, Bakri reviewed several achievements. The ministry was able
to desalinate 78mcm of low quality groundwater during the last three years, at a
total cost of JD20 million, he said.
In addition, the ministry enlarged the Zai Water Treatment Plant, doubling its
production from 45mcm to 90mcm. Concerning wastewater, applying such methods
helped the ministry treat 70mcm of wastewater last year for agricultural use a
figure expected to reach 174mcm in 2020.