Contractor ruptures water carrier in Karak, disrupts supply

AMMAN – For the third time in a week, a contractor damages a pipeline supplying thousands of consumers with water, a government official said on Thursday, noting that supply to much of Karak Governorate was disrupted.

A 400-millimetre carrier supplying Karak with 600 cubic metres per hour was broken on Thursday morning, when a contractor's bulldozer damaged the pipeline while implementing a project for the Karak Municipality, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Damaging the main pipeline has caused disruption in the water distribution programme in Karak, according to the ministry.

"We have dispatched several technical teams and machineries to fix the pipeline and work is still under way," ministry's spokesperson, Omar Salameh, told The Jordan Times.

By Thursday afternoon, water supply in Karak was still disrupted, according to Salameh, who noted that even after fixing the pipeline, water pumping to Karak will need several hours before pumps and stations start operating again.

"As the ministry announced this week, it will hold the contractor who damaged the pipeline responsible," Salameh noted.

The ministry announced earlier this week that it will start enforcing the modified Water Authority of Jordan Law No. 22 for the year 2014 against violating contractors working on projects across the country.

The law stipulates that a contractor, who damages any of the water and wastewater carriers or pipelines, will be jailed up to three years and fined up to JD5,000.

The announcement comes after recurring water cuts resulting from contractors’ negligence to coordinate with the ministry, its authorities and directorates before embarking on any digging.

Water supply in the southern governorate of Maan was disrupted on Wednesday after a contractor cut an electricity cable powering the city's pumps and stations, while late last week, another contractor in Salt in Balqa Governorate also damaged a pipeline that supplies west of Salt with water.

The ministry requested contractors are requested to act responsibly during excavations as damaging a cable or a water main deprives hundreds of households from their right to water and also puts additional financial burdens on the ministry.