Workshop held on water sector governance

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, in cooperation with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), on Sunday organised a workshop on the water sector governance project, aimed at improving the level of performance and addressing various challenges facing the sector. 

Secretary-General of the Water Ministry Jihad Mhimeid noted that Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world and is far below the international water poverty line, according to a ministry statement.

He noted that pressure is increasing on available water resources due to population growth, hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees and the impacts of climate change, all of which contributed to the decline in water sources as a result of the increased use of groundwater resources.

For his part, Director of Water Projects at GIZ Trevor Surig said that over the next four years, the project would support long-term planning in water sector institutions to address several issues related to resource availability, changes in demand and optimal resource allocation. 

Surig noted that the general objective of the scheme is to support water sector institutions in applying good governance principles.

He pointed out that the project's main objectives include improving dialogue among water sector institutions, supporting performance control in the sector, boosting human resources management, helping improve central water management, as well as focusing on digitisation, data security, and protection from "external threats".