AMMAN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and Germany signed an agreement on Thursday to advance the strategic National Water Carrier Project, a major water desalination and conveyance initiative aimed at addressing the kingdom's chronic water scarcity.
The deal was inked by Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Al Saud and Matthias Schmidt-Rosen, Amman office director of the German development bank KfW.
Linked to existing grant and project frameworks, the newly signed agreement serves to execute previously allocated funds and underscores the long-standing cooperation between the two nations in the water sector, according to a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
Under the agreement, the German government will extend a financial package totaling 127 million euros (about 146 million U.S. dollars), comprising a 102-million-euro direct grant via the KfW and 25 million euros through a debt-swap mechanism.
The ministry noted that the German contribution is part of a broader pool of international grants for Jordan as it grapples with surging water demand compounded by climate change.
The National Water Carrier Project, developed under a public-private partnership, is a cornerstone of Jordan's water security strategy. It aims to deliver around 300 million cubic meters of additional drinking water annually starting from 2030.
The project features the construction of a Red Sea desalination plant in the southern port city of Aqaba, alongside a 450-km pipeline network to pump the desalinated water northward to the Greater Amman area and other governorates. ■
