Amman: The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA), in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, launched a project titled "Reducing Sedimentation in the King Talal Dam Basin to Enhance Water Security." The launch event was attended by Dutch Ambassador Stella Kloth, IUCN Regional Director for West Asia Hany El Shaer, local municipality leaders, and representatives from various national and international organizations.
According to Jordan News Agency, JVA Secretary General Hisham Al-Haisa underscored the project's critical role in safeguarding water resources and optimizing the efficiency and sustainability of the dam's storage infrastructure. He pointed out the need to address soil erosion at its sources in the upper catchment area to prevent sediment from reaching the reservoir.
Al-Haisa highlighted King Talal Dam's significance as one of Jordan's essential surface water storage facilities, providing vital irrigation water to farmers in the Jordan Valley. He noted that maintaining the dam's storage capacity is a top national water security priority.
The project, funded by a 10-million-euro grant from the Dutch government over four years, employs an integrated approach that combines engineering and nature-based solutions with technical and institutional capacity-building. Its aim is to curb soil erosion, restore vegetative cover, and treat sediment sources directly.
By the end of the project's fourth year, it aims to reduce sediment inflow into the reservoir by at least 10 percent. Al-Haisa emphasized that achieving this target will require strong collaboration among national agencies, local communities, farmers, and international partners.
Ambassador Kloth affirmed the robust Dutch-Jordanian partnership in tackling water scarcity and climate change challenges. She mentioned that the grant signifies the Netherlands' ongoing commitment to supporting Jordan's water sustainability and infrastructure, expressing her anticipation for tangible, long-term outcomes.
El Shaer stressed that mitigating siltation requires a comprehensive approach focused on catchment basins and sediment sources. He reiterated the importance of combining physical engineering with nature-based methods to protect the dam and expressed IUCN's commitment to working with the JVA to develop scalable models for other river basins.
The initiative is aligned with Jordan's National Water Strategy 2023-2040, national climate policies, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to clean water, climate action, and ecosystem preservation.