Multi-million dollar plan to pump water to Jordan's capital

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

AMMAN (AFP) — Jordan on Sunday announced that a multi-million dollar project would begin in June to supply the capital with water from an ancient southern aquifer 325 kilometres (200 miles) away.

"The capital will get water from the aquifer for the coming 100 years," Water Minister Raed Abu Soud told reporters, adding that the project in the desert kingdom was expected to be completed within three and a half years.

Abu Soud said a Turkish firm has been contracted to extract 100 million cubic metres (3.5 billion cubic feet) of water each year from the 300,000-year-old Disi aquifer, which lies 325 kilometres (200 miles) south of Amman.

The plan includes digging 55 wells to pump water from Disi to Amman, where daily consumption per capita stands at 160 litres...