Jordan- Water authority to send conservation message via SMS 

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Jordanians will soon start receiving SMSs on their mobile phones urging them to ration their use of water and giving advice on ways to help conserve the precious resource, officials said on Wednesday.

Under an agreement signed yesterday between the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) and the Zain Group, the company's over-2.3 million subscribers will receive short messages as part of an awareness campaign that seeks to change individuals' behaviours.

WAJ Secretary General Munir Oweiss highlighted the importance of partnership between the public and the private sectors, noting that the SMS initiative will ensure that every individual receives the authority's message on the need to conserve water and protect its sources from pollution.

"We hope that the campaign builds people's awareness on the need to save water in a country categorised as the fourth water poorest nation in the world. Hopefully people will start changing their behaviours and adopt more aware practices," Oweiss told reporters during the signing ceremony.

Meanwhile, Zain CEO Abdel Malek Al Jaber, who signed the agreement with Oweiss, underscored the importance of collaboration among institutions and individuals to conserve water.

With the spread of mobile phones, delivering messages to people using this tool ensures that the message is circulated, he noted.

"The campaign goes into effect after signing the agreement. It is ongoing and the content of the messages will be determined by the authority depending on the targeted groups and areas," Jaber said.

He added that the campaign also includes distributing flyers with guidelines on how to save water, noting that changing people's behaviours and promoting awareness will boost the national economy.

By By Hana Namrouqa