AMMAN — Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud on Tuesday presented Jordan’s water vision for the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference during the eighth Cairo Water Week, in a ministerial session titled “Arab Region Commitments to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference: Investment in Water.”
According to a ministry statement, Abu Saud highlighted the Kingdom’s investments in the water sector to boost resilience in facing global challenges.
Despite these challenges, he said, 98 per cent of citizens receive “high-quality” water services, while around 68 per cent benefit from wastewater services.
He stressed that Jordan’s water sector enjoys strong support, with numerous strategic projects implemented to ensure the sustainability of the country’s scarce water resources and to secure water for agriculture, industry, and tourism.
Abu Saud underlined the need for a unified strategy to develop solutions amid accelerating climate change, stressing the expansion of non-traditional water sources and the use of water footprint methodologies in agricultural production across the Arab region to promote water conservation.
He added that Jordan has improved production efficiency, supported sustainable agricultural policies, and reduced the environmental impact of fertilisers and pesticides through the calculation and reduction of the “gray water footprint.”
Efforts also focus on improving agricultural trade, comparing water-use efficiency among countries, and encouraging the import of low-footprint commodities, alongside enhancing climate adaptation through precise data collection and private-sector involvement in integrated water management projects, the minister added.
Abu Saud referred to Jordan’s strategic water project, the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project, which aims to provide sustainable drinking water solutions and reuse treated water for agriculture and industry, with an additional capacity of 200–250 million cubic metres, noting that ongoing and planned projects in the sector are valued at around JD2.4 billion.
Upon completion, the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project will be Jordan’s first large-scale desalination plant, one of the largest in the world, and the country’s largest infrastructure project to date.
Spanning 450 kilometres, the project will provide a reliable water supply of 300 million cubic metres annually to much of the Kingdom, improving water distribution, alleviating pressure on existing resources, and helping to replenish over-extracted aquifers to ensure a sustainable and reliable water supply for Jordan’s future.
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