Ammon News - Jordan water ministry Sunday launched a monitoring and reporting framework for "Clean Water and Sanitation for all" that would ensure water security in the kingdom.

To ensure water security in Jordan, the second most water-scarce country globally, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation teamed up with UNICEF to ensure water security for all; the UN agency supported the Ministry in developing the new framework.

The new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 "Clean Water and Sanitation for All" monitoring and reporting framework would support Jordan in managing water security. It would strengthen the monitoring and reporting capabilities of the Ministry and its partners and would foster intra-government bodies.

"Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025, and in Jordan, dwindling water supplies and a growing population will halve per capita water use by the end of this century," said UNICEF representative in Jordan Tanya Chapuisat

"To address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from it by 2030, UNICEF works closely with the Government of Jordan and partners to increase water-use efficiency across all sectors." Chapuisat added.

In Jordan, currently, more than 98 percent of the population has access to an improved water source; more than 94 percent are connected to a pipeline network.

Often, water would only be available once a week in urban areas and less than once every two weeks in rural areas, with reduced frequency during the summer.

More than 88 percent of sanitation systems are safely managed, while only a third of schools meet basic sanitation services.

Recent data show that without any interventions, by 2100, some households in Jordan would not have access to the minimum of 40 litres of pipeline water per person a day. Low-income neighbourhoods would be the hardest hit.

This SDG6 framework is critical. It adopts guidelines for data collection and management by different government bodies that will assist in overcoming the water and sanitation challenges the country is facing.

It also provides guidance and reporting requirements for each of the SDG6 indicators, offering a step-by-step methodology to effectively monitor and report progress towards the SDG6 agenda.