Drought-hit Jordan to originate Purple Sea desalination plant

Jordan said Sunday it plans to originate a Purple Sea desalination plant operating within 5 years, to present the largely-desolate tract and drought-hit kingdom with important drinking water.

The associated fee of the conducting is estimated at “around $1 billion”, ministry of water and irrigation spokesman Omar Salameh told AFP, adding that the plant may possibly presumably be inbuilt the Gulf of Aqaba, in southern Jordan.

The plant is expected to attain 250-300 million cubic meters of potable water per yr, and must be ready for operation in 2025 or 2026, Salameh said.

“This would presumably maybe quilt the need for drinking water (in Jordan) for the next two centuries,” he said, adding that the desalinated water may possibly presumably be piped from Aqaba on the Purple Sea to the leisure of the country.

Jordan is among the realm’s most water-melancholy countries and experts relate the country, house to 10 million folks, is now in the grip of one of essentially the most severe droughts in its historical past.

Thirteen worldwide consortiums occupy achieve in bids, and the executive will chose 5 of them by July, Salameh said.

Desalinating water is a important drain of energy, and the firms must counsel how to bolt the plant in Jordan, which does no longer occupy important oil reserves.

Closing month Salameh told AFP that Jordan wants about 1.3 billion cubic metres of water per yr.

However the quantities available are around 850 to 900 million cubic metres, with the shortfall “due to the low rainfall, world warming, population growth and successive refugee inflows”, he said.

This yr, the reserves of key drinking water dams occupy reached important levels, many now a third of their same outdated means.

© 2021 AFP