Khaberni - The former Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad Al-Najjar, affirmed that the National Carrier for desalination of Red Sea water is not a radical solution to the water crisis in Jordan, but a phase solution that covers the Kingdom's water needs for a period ranging from 15 to 20 years.
During radio statements, he considered the project an important step towards enhancing water security, but not the final solution to the water crisis in Jordan, calling for the exploration of new water sources before 2045 to ensure the sustainability of the Kingdom's water resources.
He clarified that the government has recently started the financial closure phase of the project, which is related to securing the necessary funding for its construction. He noted that financial amounts have been allocated in the form of grants from some countries, in addition to low-interest capital loans and preferential benefits to support the project's execution.
He explained that the Prime Minister, Jaafar Hassan, had stated that the financial closure would be completed in the coming few months, likely in the first quarter of the next year.
He added that the delay in starting the project implementation is not only due to financial aspects but also due to the complexity of the technical and preparatory procedures, noting that the project is very large and requires billions of dinars in investments, and that the companies applying to execute it need a long time to prepare the financial and technical offers.
He indicated that the financial closure process might take between six months and one and a half years, expecting the project to be completed by 2030 according to the plan set.
It is worth mentioning that the Council of Ministers decided to approve the joint financing agreement for the project of desalination and water transfer from Aqaba to Amman, the National Carrier, between the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan represented by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the group of donors.
The agreement constitutes a major milestone and the most important part of the financial closure of the project to secure full funding necessary to implement this strategic project aimed at desalinating and transferring 300 million cubic meters of water annually from Aqaba to Amman and meeting the drinking water needs of the population in the Kingdom.
