Amman, In attendance of Her Highness Princess Basma bint Ali, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Hashemite Fund for the Development of the Jordan Badia (HFDJB), the fund on Wednesday signed a project agreement with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to increase capability of displaced persons and host communities to adapt to climate change, especially challenges facing Jordan’s water sector.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, HFDJB director, Jamal Fayez, said the project aims to reduce pressure on Jordan’s natural water resources by resorting to alternative non-traditional sources in agriculture, in light of the drought, extreme heat, and the change in rainfall patterns, which have become a major concern.
Fayez noted Mafraq’s northern Badia region hosted a large number of refugees during the past ten years, which led to increased pressure on the available water quantities and water and sanitation infrastructure networks.
Through this project, funded by the Adaptation Fund (AF), Fayez noted HFDJB twill work to implement and manage treated wastewater reuse from Mafraq purification plant and establish agricultural projects in the northwestern Badia region by launching a new and effective irrigation technology, building farmers’ capabilities and raising awareness about effective water management and irrigation systems.
For his part, the project manager in Jordan, Jawad Dakhqan, said the project is regional and aims to increase capability of refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon to address problem of water scarcity resulting from climate change.
The project’s activities in Jordan will be concentrated in the northern Irbid and Mafraq governorates by launching rainwater harvesting projects in the targeted areas, he said.
In addition, he noted the project targets gray water treatment and reuse, improvement of wastewater treatment plants, integration of a new and effective irrigation technology for treated water, launch of a pilot project for sustainable agriculture at Jerash University campus.
Source: Jordan News Agency