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AMMAN — Around 110 million cubic metres (mcm) of water have been saved since authorities launched a national crackdown on water theft in 2013, government officials said on Tuesday.

Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times that sealing illegal wells and stopping attempts to dig new ones across the country have resulted in saving 80mcm of underground water over the past three years.

“International studies indicate that water levels at several aquifers have been dropping 1 metre per year… studies also indicate that more than 50mcm of underground water are being extracted in indiscriminate pumping,” Nasser said in the statement.

In addition, the ongoing campaign to end violations on water networks and resources has succeeded in saving 30mcm of freshwater that was being diverted from main carriers, the minister noted.

“The campaign to regain control over our water resources and networks is a milestone in protecting the Kingdom’s water resources, which have been suffering from severe exploitation,” Nasser noted.

Omar Salameh, the ministry’s spokesperson, told The Jordan Times that calculations of how much water has been saved since the start of the national campaign relied on several inputs, including the terrain of land irrigated with underground water, the type of crops planted and the capacity of pipelines.

Since the launch of the campaign, the ministry has dismantled 21,037 illegal fixtures on water mains and resources, sealed 722 illegal wells and seized and confiscated 39 drilling rigs, according to official figures.

The ministry banned the drilling of wells in 1997 to limit random pumping of water and preserve aquifers from depletion and salinity.

“Estimates indicate that there are 1,100-1,200 illegal wells across the country,” the ministry statement said.

In January alone, the ministry and security forces removed 559 violations on water networks, sealed nine illegal wells, seized and confiscated a drilling rig and referred several suspects for legal action.

Authorities also recorded 122 violations last month on the King Abdullah Canal, which entailed theft of the canal’s fence and protection systems and illegally pumping out water.

The 110km King Abdullah Canal, which is supplied by the Yarmouk River, irrigates 40 per cent of the crops in the Jordan Valley and provides some 40 per cent of the capital’s water after it is treated at the Zai Water Treatment Plant.

“The ministry is paying hundreds of thousands of dinars every month to implement this ongoing campaign as it entails the deployment of technical teams, new technologies and heavy machinery to remove violations,” Nasser noted.

He said the Jordan Valley Authority is also spending JD500,000 every year to replace and install new fences, security systems and warning signs on King Abdullah Canal and the dams.

The amended Water Authority of Jordan Law stipulates stiffer penalties against those who abuse any element of the water system.

Those who abuse water carriers and mains, wastewater, pumping, purification or desalination stations; cause the pollution of water resources, pipes or stations used for drinking water; or dig or are involved in the digging of wells without obtaining a licence, face a prison sentence of up to five years and fines up to JD7,000.

In addition, violators of water and wastewater projects are jailed for up to three years and fined up to JD5,000, according to the amendments.

All penalties stipulated under the law are doubled in the case of repeat offences. 

AMMAN — Awwad Shurofat, a Jordanian athlete, used to have to pay JD10 for the three-hour trip from his home in the Northeastern Badia to Amman  every time he wanted to practise running. 

The long trip and the unaffordable transportation expense prevented him from practising daily in the capital, which has suitable facilities for sports training.  

“Whenever I want to go to Amman, the trip is really long and expensive, and it is difficult for me to go back home after the end of the training because there is no public transportation in the afternoon from Amman to the Northeastern Badia. So I stay at my friends’ houses either in Amman or in Zarqa,” the 22-year-old told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

However, Shurofat, who is a member of Jordan Athletics Federation- Clubs, did not let the difficulties involved in reaching the capital stand in the way of his athletic career.

Instead, they inspired him to follow his passion and establish a racetrack for runners in his hometown.

It took Shurofat three weeks to finish building his racetrack. 

“I began cleaning the area, and sometimes my brothers helped me. I have enough background about racetrack [building] because I study sport at the Hashemite University, so I built one according to the standards.” 

Shurofat said there are no facilities for athletics in Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, while those available in Amman are considered modest compared to racetracks around the world. 

“Jordanians in Mafraq are not interested in this sport and many of them told me I was making a racetrack for a sport that I will not benefit from. I did not listen to them because I love it and I believe I will do something for the sake of my country in the future,” he noted. 

The athlete has taken part in three global competitions and achieved fifth place in a university competition in Korea. 

“The people who met me in Korea told me it [my result] was a great achievement given the lack of support for myself and my colleagues, and the lack of facilities in Mafraq.” 

Shurofat stressed that despite difficulties, he will work hard to reach further accomplishments. 

“Now I am young and I have to take advantage of that and work hard. I did not want to surrender and I will keep practicing daily to achieve my goal.” 

AMMAN — Almost 50 young people from several local organisations celebrated the 2016 World Interfaith Harmony Week at an event on Monday in the capital, which showcased interfaith dialogue as a tool giving voices to all and ensuring that they are listened to with respect.

The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) organised the event, hosting youth from organisations including  El Hassan Youth Award, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media, and the We Are All Jordan Youth Commission. 

Amer Al Hafi, academic adviser at RIIFS, said at the opening ceremony that  religions are the source of mercy and love, and those who kill in the name of  any religion represent only themselves. 

He noted that goodness, virtue and beauty are found together, and quoted the hadith (saying) by Prophet Mohammad that: “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.”

“It’s when beauty and empathy are lost in humanity that a quest for harmony is needed,” he added.

Hafi told The Jordan Times that World Interfaith Harmony Week, marked on the first week of February, promotes tolerance, as well as interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and encourages a culture of peace, and combating violence and extremism.

The annual event was first proposed at the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2010, by His Majesty King Abdullah. 

“This is what young people must understand and live to achieve,” he said.

Samer Azar, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, said young people should be encouraged to always seek commonalities in humanity, practise true dialogue, and “together” stand in the face of extremism. 

Imam Mustafa Abu Rumman said the fight against extremism and terrorism is a fight against people with “hearts of stone”, and the way to combat them is by loving and accepting one another, and by truly knowing God.

The gathering watched “Against the Current”, a 40-minute documentary produced by Adyan foundation, which focuses on the power of faith in confronting discrimination, intolerance and extremism.

Yacoub Husban, a 21-year-old representative from the We Are All Jordan Youth Commission, told The Jordan Times that such youth meetings are important, since all will try to reflect the true image of their religion and thus bring out the best in each other.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, special assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff, on Tuesday met a delegation from the UK House of Commons defence committee in his office at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army headquarters.

Prince Feisal and the delegation, headed by MP Julian Lewis, discussed issues of mutual interest, especially in the defence and military fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben on Tuesday returned to the Kingdom after participating in the chairmen of chiefs-of-staff conference to combat Daesh held in Kuwait.

On the sidelines of the event, Zaben met with some counterparts and discussed military relations between the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) and the armies of these countries, according to a JAF statement.

Zaben also met with Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah and conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah's greetings to Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and the Kuwaiti people. He also met with Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, deputy president of the Kuwaiti National Guard, and reviewed ways to enhance military cooperation.

AMMAN — A 17-year-old girl died on Tuesday night in Ramtha of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to Ramtha Police Director Col. Ammar Qudah.

He told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the teenager arrived dead at Ramtha Hospital.

Qudah said the body was referred to the forensic medicine unit to identify the cause of death, and a special team was formed to investigate the incident.

AMMAN — MP Hind Fayez presented an official letter on Tuesday to Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh asking to withdraw her letter of resignation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted House General Secretariat sources as saying.

Fayez resigned from the Lower House on Monday over an altercation between her and Tarawneh after he closed a discussion on the number of seats and electoral districts allocated for each governorate under the draft elections law.

During the session, Fayez said she does not accept being a “false witness” when it comes to debating a very crucial law and demanded that the speaker respect MPs.

AMMAN — Interpol’s office in Amman has received a Jordanian suspect who is wanted for writing a bad cheque of JD7.9 million from the Lebanese authorities, the Public Security Department’s (PSD) media centre said Tuesday.

Amman’s office investigations revealed the suspect was in Lebanon, a PSD statement said, adding that officers contacted Lebanese authorities and provided them with information on the suspect before arresting him.

Amman’s Interpol sent a security mission to Lebanon and accompanied the suspect back to the Kingdom, referring him to court, which ordered his detention over the cheque and four other local cases, the PSD added.

AMMAN — Eleven people were injured on Tuesday in a two-vehicle collision on the Yajuz-Zarqa Road, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said.

CDD cadres administered first aid to the injured, and took them to Prince Feisal and Prince Hamzah hospitals where they were listed in fair condition.

In Irbid, five people were injured in a two-vehicle collision. CDD cadres administered first aid and took them to hospital, where they were listed in fair condition. 

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Tuesday discussed cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to deal with natural disasters by conducting a comprehensive evaluation that helps GAM determine the causes of floods, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji voiced GAM’s readiness to cooperate with the UNDP and come up with the necessary plan to minimise the effects of floods. The programme aims at offering technical support to evaluate and come up with short- and mid-term recommendations to reduce flood dangers in Amman.