Jordan Times
Friday, October 22, 2004
Community benefits from
resource conservation project
By Reem Halasa
AMMAN — Around 160 kilometres south of Amman, on the edge of Karak, the village
of East Shiqera this week became a model community in water and energy
conservation after a year of infrastructure development.
From a village once characterised by water shortages, unpaved streets and lack
of electricity, the people of Shiqera are now proud to show off the
life-changing improvements to their homes and village.
The development was part of the Communities Small Grants Programme initiated
four years ago by the Water Efficiency and Public Information for Action (WEPIA)
— a Ministry of Water and Irrigation programme — in cooperation with the
Ministry of Planning and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project has provided the mostly elderly community of Shiqera with a variety
of opportunities to increase their incomes.
Khadra, a widow in her late fifties who lives with her children in a small
house, has now gained paid employment tending to the village's only park, which
contains a children's playground and planted areas.
She said that she waters the newly planted saplings in the park and keeps it
clean for JD150 monthly salary.
Khadra, who lives across the street from the park, complained about the “old
days” when water was pumped every 15 days and there was only one main well for
the entire village.
“I used to walk for miles to the well, and carry the water containers on my
shoulders... this was the case for all women here,” explained Khadra.
Khadra's house is one of the 21 houses that now has a separate water well and a
newly planted garden that depends on a grey water system for irrigation.
According to Abdus Salam Kamal, WEPIA's technical expert, the grey water system
treats wastewater coming from the sinks and showers of the houses and is made
usable for irrigation purposes after it is purified.
As for Saleem Falah, a middle-aged man, the modern irrigation system has
transformed the once barren piece of land in front of his house. Falah has now
planted olive trees and vines and said he hopes to benefit from this land by
selling the produce from these trees in the future. “These plants will increase
my income in the coming years,” he said.
The project, initiated a year ago, focused on installing a water conservation
system, such as reusing grey water in irrigation, installing water wells in all
houses and a rainwater harvesting system that collects rainwater in pear-shaped
pools, to be used as an alternative source of water for the community.
“We also provided each of the 21 houses' gardens with fertile soil to plant
drought-tolerant plants such as vines, and olive and fig trees,” said Kamal.
Six months ago, the community established a charity organisation called Al
Baraka Society, part of the Ministry of Social Development, which will assist
the community in any future projects, according to Kamal.
In a ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the remarkable changes in East Shiqera,
USAID mission Director Anne Aarnes and Ministry of Water and Irrigation
Secretary General Sa'ad Bakri toured the village and observed the changes.
Having witnessed the project during its early stages and the people's eager
participation, Aarnes said that the “high spirits of the community is the key to
success in such projects.”
The East Shiqera project — costing JD550,000 — is part of 37 underprivileged
communities in the Kingdom to undergo infrastructure development.
Aarnes said the project would conclude at the end of the year, but will be
followed by a second phase including other underprivileged communities, though
the details of the plan are not yet clear.