(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Experimental pumping from the Disi Water Conveyance Project is scheduled to start later this year, as the mega-scheme nears completion, a government official said on Wednesday.
The project, viewed as the Kingdom's first step towards achieving water security, is progressing well and is currently in its final stages, Disi Project Director Bassam Saleh said.
"Work on the project is going at an excellent pace, with 85 per cent of the project completed," Saleh told The Jordan Times during an interview.
Experimental pumping from the Disi project is scheduled to start in October or November this year, he noted.
"We expect that 20-30 million cubic metres of Disi water will be pumped to Amman by February next year" The project will be completed in July 2013," Saleh underscored.
The Disi project, which started in 2007, entails drilling 64 wells, 55 of which will be used for the generation of water, while nine will serve as piezometer wells to measure the elevation of water.
Being carried out on a build-operate-transfer basis and implemented by Turkish company GAMA, the Disi project seeks to provide the capital with 110 million cubic metres of water annually via pipeline, which starts at the ancient Disi aquifer in southern Jordan and ends in Amman, passing through several water stations in Maan, Tafileh, Karak and Madaba.
"Twenty-five wells have been drilled and 314 out of a total of 340 kilometres of pipelines have been laid. In addition, water reservoirs and pumping stations have been established, while engineering designs and procurement were completed," Saleh highlighted.
Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar said in recent statements to the press that water supply in Amman and Zarqa will be improved once the Disi project is completed.
People will start receiving continuous water supply instead of once every week under the water distribution programme, Najjar said.
Under the distribution programme, households in Jordan receive water once during a set period, usually a week to 10 days, on a rotating basis.
Scarce water resources in the country compelled the Kingdom to initiate the programme in the early 1980s to conserve limited resources and ensure a sustainable water supply for subscribers.
