Disi Water Conveyance
The Disi Water Conveyance Project is a
An independent study revealed the water to be
Background
The water in the Disi aquifer gathered 30,000 years ago during the
Only a small portion of the Disi aquifer lies beneath Jordan, while the majority lies beneath Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia also extracts water from the aquifer (called the Saq aquifer in Saudi Arabia).[9] The aquifer has created controversy between Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with each country demanding the other to use less of the shared water. There is no formal agreement between the countries regarding the water and the Disi Water Conveyance Project is being constructed without Saudi consultation or involvement.[6]
Non-revenue water is a serious problem in Amman. Currently, 40% of water in Amman is lost as non-revenue water. The city rations water, with individual residents averaging 36 hours of water access weekly. If the non-revenue water problem remains, it is possible that a large portion of the water provided by the Disi Water Conveyance project will also be lost as it is piped through Amman.[10]
The Disi Water Conveyance project was first proposed in the 1990s, but was initially regarded as too expensive. A feasibility study was completed in 1996.[11] But it was not until 2007 that the Jordanian Government was able to contract a firm to begin construction.[12]
Design
The project proposed by the Jordanian government will pump 100,000,000 m3 (2.2×1010 imp gal) of water per year from 55
After being pumped from the wells, water will then be transported to
The 100,000,000 m3 (2.2×1010 imp gal) of water will be divided between the Abu Alanda reservoir and the Dabouq reservoir. Approximately 40,000,000 m3 (8.8×109 imp gal) of water will be sent to the Abu Alanda reservoir where it will be diluted with water from the Zara Ma’en desalination plant as well as water from Wala. The remaining 60,000,000 m3 (1.3×1010 imp gal) of water will be sent to the Dabouq reservoir where it will be diluted with water from the Zai Treatment Plant as well as water from Wala.[1] It is estimated that the cost of one cubic meter of water from the project will be 0.74 JOD (US$1.05).[13]
Construction
In June 2009, the Turkish firm
Construction was delayed by disgruntled members of a Bedouin tribe living in the area, who allegedly intimidated workers by shooting in the air and at construction equipment. All work was stopped for two weeks after two employees were killed in January 2011 — allegedly murdered by a member of the Bedouin tribe.[17][18] The tribe had been upset because GAMA did not rent its water tankers, according to Adnan Zu'b, Assistant Secretary Genera at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. To satisfy the tribe, GAMA then announced plans to rent tankers from the tribe.[17] However, near the site of the killings, the town of Ma'an had protests against the government's failure to punish the killers.[18] During October and November, 2011 the construction works have been suspended at southern part of the project from Hasa to Mudawwara due to security problems created by tribes, therefore there is delay in this part which will affect the completion date of the project.
By the end of 2013, portion of the production wells were substantially complete and turned over to DIWACO.
Structure and funding
The project is funded on a
The project is funded through an equity contribution of about US$200M from Diwaco, a $300M grant and a $100M stand-by facility from the Jordanian government, as well as US$475M in foreign loans to Diwaco.
Radioactivity concerns
The project became controversial in 2009 when a study performed by Avner Vengosh of
Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation has stated that the radioactivity is not a problem because the water is to be diluted with an equal amount of water from other sources. This dilution would presumably halve the radioactivity of the water which, according to Vengosh's data, would not be enough to bring the water up to standards.[1] The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, however, has declared Vengosh's data to be inaccurate, as his study did not test water from any of the wells that will be used in the project. As radiation varies from well to well, it is possible that the data Vengosh collected does not accurately reflect the water sources to be used in the project.[4]
Although testing at the
During the inauguration of the conveyor in July 2013 Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazim El-Nasser said that after mixing Disi water radiation is less than 0.5 millisievert per year. The worldwide average natural dose of human's exposure to radiation is about 2.5-3 millisievert per year. "Disi water is purer than bottled water and I take full responsibility for what I’m saying,” the Minister said during a press conference.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Upson, Sandra (August 2009). "Jordan's radioactive water problem". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ a b Jordan Times:King inaugurates Disi water project Archived July 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, 17 July 2013
- ^ PMID 19368170.
- ^ a b Namrouqa, Hana (3 March 2009). "Disi project will go ahead despite radiation allegations". Jordan Times. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b Numan, Abeer (18 May 2011). "Disi water uncontaminated". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ a b Allen, John (May 2010). "Disi Aquifer: Jordan and Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Transboundary Water Resource. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ Page 68: Wardam, Batir (September 2004). "More politics then water: Water rights in Jordan" (PDF). Global Issue Papers (11). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Namrouqa, Hana (14 Feb 2011). "After Disi setbacks, GAMA playing 'catch up'". The Jordan Times. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ Handwerk, Brian (6 May 2010). "Underground "Fossil Water" Running Out". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
- ^ "Amman looks to boost supply and plug the leaks". Global Water Intelligence. 10 (6). June 2009.
- ^ "Water and wastewater projects in Jordan". Sweco. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Jordan - Water from a desert well". Executive. July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Namrouqa, Hana (10 August 2010). "Disi project construction in full force". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "Disi-Mudawwara Amman Water Conveyance System - Jordan". Consolidated Consultants. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ Namrouqa, Hana (14 July 2009). "Disi project to finish ahead of schedule". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
- ^ Namrouqa, Hana (17 April 2011). "50% of Disi project completed". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ a b Namrouqa, Hana (14 February 2011). "Safety concerns 'hindering progress' in Disi water project". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ ProQuest 822342242.
- ^ General Electric: GAMA, GE To Bring Water to Northern Jordan Through Investment In US$1 Billion Pipeline Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, 8 July 2009
- ^ Attwood, Edward (14 July 2009). "US $1bn water project to bring hope to Jordan". Utilities Middle East. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "$1bn Jordan water project set to start". TradeArabia. 8 July 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ "Disi project construction work officially begins". The Jordan Times. 3 December 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
- ^ "Disi Water PSC". Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "ABC closes US$475 million multi-tranche loan facilities for Jordan's Disi Water Company (DIWACO)". Arab Banking Corporation. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ Namrouqa, Hana (29 April 2009). "Disi project financial closure expected to be finalised this week". The Jordan Times. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
- ^ "Disi Project Designs Finalized". Ooska News. 22 February 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
- ^ "South North Water Conveyor". European Investment Bank. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Disi-Mudawarra to Amman water conveyance system". NL EVD International. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "EIB North-South Water Conveyor (Jordan)". UNDP/World Bank Climate Finance Options. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ Vinocur, Nick (26 February 2009). "Excess radiation found in ancient Jordan wells". Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "More reassurance needed". The Jordan Times. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.