Khaberni - The Initiative Parliamentary Bloc, chaired by MP Ahmed Al-Hamisat, discussed the water situation in the kingdom during a meeting held on Wednesday, with the presence of the Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Al-Saud.
The Minister of Water stated that the ministry is aiming to reduce water loss to less than 40%, pointing out that the current rainy season is better than the previous one, and referencing the efforts made to secure the necessary financing for projects in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
He explained that reducing loss requires changing and rehabilitating water networks, indicating that the condition of the wells is good and the storage percentage in them has reached about 23.5%.
He reaffirmed the commitment to proceed with implementing the national carrier project, denying rumors about selling a cubic meter of water for three dinars, noting that the price will be announced in February next month.
He revealed the renting of 60 water wells from citizens to meet the increasing demand especially in the summer, confirming that this option is faster than drilling new wells, with an announcement of an increase in the water quota for Ajloun Governorate next summer.
For his part, Al-Hamisat emphasized the importance of working to reduce water loss as one of the most significant challenges facing the water sector, which directly affects citizens' living conditions, mentioning that the bloc is concerned with following up on service issues that matter to citizens in various governorates.
He stated that the bloc recommended the necessity of continuing communication with the Syrian side to enhance water cooperation, organizing the process of drilling groundwater wells in the border areas, increasing the number of earth dams in the desert areas, reevaluating the procedures of freezing assets of subscribers falling behind on water bill payments and giving them sufficient grace period before freezing, as well as expediting the implementation of sewage networks and projects in areas not covered by them in the governorates.
For their part, members of the bloc, Tariq Bani Hani, Abdul Hadi Breizat, Firas Al-Qublan, Youssef Al-Rawadieh, Mohammad Bistanji, Feryal Bani Salman, Shifa' Al-Muqabila, and Dina Al-Bashir, called for finding solutions to the challenges facing citizens, especially in water distribution roles, demanding stricter supervision on assaults on water lines and the necessity of maintaining networks to reduce loss percentages.
