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Ammon News - Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Nasser Shraideh, stressed the importance of "actively" contributing to providing the "necessary" financial support for the the national water carrier (Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project (AAWDC).

Chairing the expanded coordination meeting with ambassadors and representatives of donor countries, banks and international financial institutions, Shraideh described the project as "strategic and a top priority for water security."

According to a ministry statement on Wednesday, Shraideh stressed the "strategic" importance of the project to the Kingdom, which will be completely implemented on Jordanian lands, especially in terms of providing "sufficient and sustainable" desalinated water estimated at about 300 million cubic meters annually to cover the Kingdom's water needs.

The AAWDC is the most important national investment projects within the government’s economic priorities program for 2021-2023, which it has pledged to implementing within "clear" time frames and achievement indicators, he said.

The minister briefed the attendees on Jordan's water situation and the challenges facing the sector at the current stage as a result of several factors, foremost are the Syrian refugee crisis, climate change impact, sectoral needs and population growth.

On future action, he reviewed the timeframe for the progress of the AAWDC's preparations.

The government, he said, is working "closely and continuously" to implement AAWDC, based on Jordan's urgent need for additional water resources to keep pace with its growing needs, and to be able to bring about growth in vital economic sectors such as industry, tourism and agriculture, which are among the main drivers of employment and growth.

The minister also reviewed the government's arrangements and measures taken in the context of ensuring feasibility of implementing AAWDC, especially in financial terms and the future steps aimed to move to carrying out this water project.

To kick off the execution phase, he urged officials from the parties participating in the meeting to provide the "highest" amount of grants and concessional funding for AAWDC, in a bid to increase its feasibility and ensure providing water at a "reasonable" price to citizens.

The ministry is preparing to hold a conference to announce donors’ pledges during next March, he said, calling on the donor community to coordinate with their capitals to determine assistance to be provided to AAWDC, in preparation for announcing the support during March conference to enable the Jordanian government to "clearly identify the project's axes."