(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Construction work on the Kufranjah Dam in Ajloun Governorate, located 70km northwest of Amman, is progressing according to schedule, according to a government official.
"Construction of the dam is progressing well with 35 per cent of the reservoir completed" the Kufranjah Dam is expected to be completed in 2014," Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) Secretary General Saad Abu Hammour, said.
Work on the dam, implemented by an Italian contractor, started late last year, Abu Hammour added.
The project, which is funded by the state Treasury, is estimated to cost JD20 million, in addition to JD2.2 million for supervising the implementation, according to the JVA secretary general.
"The dam seeks to provide Ajloun with water for drinking and irrigation purposes," he noted.
Meanwhile, the JVA plans to raise the walls of the Waleh Dam in Madaba Governorate to store more rainwater.
"Raising the walls of the 8.18 million cubic metre (mcm) Waleh Dam is scheduled to start late next year" The dam flooded more than three times in 2010 and around 30mcm went into the Dead Sea," Abu Hammour said.
Dams, though expensive to build, are vital for the Kingdom to secure its water needs, according to officials at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
The Kingdom's 10 major dams are the King Talal, Wadi Al Arab, Sharhabil, Kafrein, Wadi Shuaib, Karameh, Tannour, Waleh, Mujib and Wihdeh.
They currently hold 64 per cent of their total capacity of 215.44mcm, excluding the 110mcm Wihdeh Dam, where water storage is currently experimental. The dam now holds 15.5mcm of its total capacity.
Jordan, which is considered the world's fourth water poorest country, suffers an annual water deficit of 500mcm and the per capita share of water does not exceed 150 cubic metres per year, well below the water poverty line of 500 cubic metres per year.
According to official figures, 91 per cent of Jordan's total area of 97,000 square kilometres is arid land with an annual rainfall average of 50-200 millimetres (mm), while 2.9 per cent is categorised as semi-arid with an annual rainfall average of 400-580mm.
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