Call for stricter water waste penalties in Jordan

Experts warn that tighter controls on waste water are needed to secure future supply. (Getty Images)

Experts have called for stricter enforcement of water-related laws and regulations, to better protect Jordan’s dwindling water resources, The Jordan Times has reported.

During a workshop organised by the Public Action in Water, Energy and Environment Project and the National Campaign for Public Awareness of the Drivers of Change, participants analysed consumption patterns in agriculture, households and large establishments like hotels and hospitals.

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Participants said that while laws and regulations protecting the country’s water resources do exist, they are poorly enforced which allows for violations and therefore depletion.

Public Action Project chief-of-party Amer Jabarin told The Jordan Times: “In order to achieve behavioural change in water consumption patterns, it is vital to first enforce existing laws, and we have a problem with that. We have laws that regulate all sectors, but without proper enforcement.”

He also said that Jordan’s weak law enforcement is encouraging theft, which accounted for at least 20 per cent of the nation’s water loss in 2010.