Amman, Jan. 25 (Petra) -- The Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced on Sunday the completion of a water system upgrade project Ain Al-Basha district in Balqa governorate, implemented by the Water Authority of Jordan in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy.

According to the ministry, the ministry described the project as a major step to reduce non-revenue water and improve supply reliability in one of Balqa’s most densely populated areas. The total investment reached JD11.2 million, including JD9.5 million provided by the U.S. Embassy in Amman and JD1.7 million in Water Authority funding.

Ministry Secretary General Jihad Mahamid said the project addresses aging infrastructure and frequent pipe bursts linked to high operating pressures, which drove water losses to about 77% and undermined Miyahuna’s ability to deliver regular, reliable supply to residents.

He said rehabilitation works in selected Ain Al-Basha areas included restructuring and upgrading water networks and installing 853 ultrasonic smart meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system to improve measurement accuracy and monitoring. A new 1,000-cubic-meter reservoir was also built at the highest point in the area, enabling gravity-fed distribution instead of pumping and improving operational efficiency and supply sustainability.

Mahamid added that the project prioritized restructuring, rehabilitating, and isolating priority zones, while introducing a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to strengthen operational oversight and performance. He said the project is expected to save 767,000 cubic meters annually and directly benefit about 115,000 residents in Ain Al-Basha.

He said the project will also reduce operating expenses and energy costs by about USD 3 million (JD2.1 million) per year, cut response time for breakdowns and pipe-burst complaints by 23%, and support a more regular and stable water-supply schedule for households.

//Petra// AO