GAMA HOLDING partnership brings water to Amman.

A strategic project that will help alleviate the water shortage in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and the surrounding region is nearing full commercial operation. The Disi Water Conveyance Project, expected to be completed in October, is already providing partial water flow to immediately address Jordanians’ urgent need for water. Successful preliminary tests were conducted in which Disi water was transported to Amman.

The King of Jordan — His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence H.E. Dr. Abdullah Ensour, Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan Fayez Tarawneh, Jordan’s Minister of Water and Irrigation H.E. Dr. Hazim El-Nasser, GAMA Holding Deputy Chairman and CEO Hakan Özman and GAMA Energy Board Member and CEO Arif Özozan attended a ceremony inaugurating the water supply at the Madaba Pumping Station on July 17.

Jordan’s water resources per capita are among the world’s lowest. Based on the current practice, water is delivered only once a week to Amman’s residents. The country’s annual water consumption stands at 900 million cubic meters, however, authorities expect this figure to rise to 1.6 billion by 2015.

The government of Jordan signed a concession agreement in 2008 with Diwaco (Disi Water Company), a GAMA Holding – GE Energy Financial Services partnership, to build and operate a 325-kilometer-long water pipeline. The project involves extracting 100 million cubic meters of water annually for 25 years, from an aquifer located under the Disi Region, and pumping the water through a 325-kilometer-long steel pipeline to the reservoirs in Amman, where it will be distributed to the public. After the end of the 25-year concession period, Diwaco will transfer the project to the Government of Jordan. The Disi Water Conveyance project will account for 6 percent of Jordan’s total comsumption projected for 2015.

The Disi Water Company successfully completed trials and provided partial water supply prior to full commercial operations, to meet Jordanians’ need for water in the summer, when demand is at its peak. Before being distributed to Jordanians, a series of tests in line with the World Health Organization directives were concluded. The distribution of water, found to be suitable for both potable and utility use, started July 10. The current capacity of 40% will be increased gradually upon the Ministry of Water and Irrigation’s approval. .

According to Minister of Water and Irrigation H.E. Dr. Hazim El-Nasser, initially Amman will be supplied with 110,000-130,000 cubic meters of water daily. “It is expected that people will start to receive water up to four days a week instead of once per week,” the Minister said. He added that Disi water will be distributed to other provinces in the Kingdom in the near future.

The Disi Water Conveyance Project is the biggest Turkish investment in Jordan. The project, the largest privately funded water supply project in Jordan and in the surrounding region, received EMEA Finance’s “Best Infrastructure Deal in the Middle East: Disi-Mudawarra to Amman Water Conveyance System” award, as well as Euromoney’s Project Finance “Deal of the Year” award.