Water pipes to be replaced in five areas of Mafraq

AMMAN — Main and tertiary water pipes in five areas of Mafraq Governorate will be replaced by early next year to improve water supply and reduce leakage, officials said on Sunday.

Under an agreement signed on Sunday between the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and a local contractor, deteriorated water infrastructure in the five areas will be renovated by February 2018.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazim El Naser said that the installation of new water pipes in Mafraq is an “urgent project”, which seeks to address water disruptions and prevent water leakage.

“Water supply efficiency is expected to increase drastically as new water pipelines will be installed,” El Naser said in the statement.

He noted that the increasing demand for water in Mafraq, 80 kilometres northeast of the capital, has placed pressure on the water network, particularly given that Mafraq hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

The project will be implemented at a cost of 1.2 million euros (JD1 million), according to ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh.

“The project is entirely funded by a grant from the German Development Bank [KfW],” Salameh told The Jordan Times.

He added that the project will also see the renovation of water pumping stations in Mafraq, as well as the installation of new pumps.

Mafraq has seen a 40 per cent rise in demand for water since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011. It is the site of the Zaatari Refugee Camp, which is the Middle East’s largest refugee camp, where some 80,000 Syrian refugees have been living since it opened in 2012.

Pressure on the water network in Mafraq caused its main carrier to rupture in June after it reached its full capacity. 

The carrier transfers 500 cubic metres of water per hour from the Sama pumping station to most parts of Mafraq and supplies over 40,000 subscribers in the desert town.

The main carrier that supplies Mafraq Governorate with water ruptured on Monday morning, leaving over 40,000 subscribers in the desert town without water, according to an official.

The carrier transfers 500 cubic metres of water per hour from Sama pumping station to most parts of Mafraq, according to Director of Yarmouk Water Company Hassan Hazaimeh.

The northern governorates’ annual water needs stand at approximately 85 million cubic metres of water that is pumped mainly from underground water sources, according to the company.