Tafila, Sept. 30 (Petra) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in cooperation with the Tafila Awqaf Directorate / Al-Hasa District Awqaf Office, held an awareness course on rainwater harvesting from building rooftops, with the participation of imams, muezzins, and female preachers from the district's awqaf, as part of the second phase of the awareness program on rainwater harvesting in the governorates of Karak, Tafila, and Maan.

The course falls under the project "Building Resilience to Climate Change in Jordan by Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector," funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by FAO in partnership with relevant national entities.

The course organizers stressed that the program aims to raise awareness of the importance of rainwater harvesting and its efficient use, rationalize water consumption, and promote practices that contribute to adapting to the effects of climate change.

They noted that the program addresses the most prominent water challenges facing Jordan, along with household techniques and practices that contribute to rainwater harvesting and improving water use efficiency, and the importance of installing water-saving tools and parts in homes and public buildings.

The second phase of the program targets 75 public schools, with 25 schools in each of Karak, Tafila, and Maan governorates, in addition to 150 buildings, including mosques, health centers, and others, with 50 buildings in each governorate.

Participants in the course affirmed that the program is based on five axes: water scarcity and the importance of conserving it, the principles of adaptation to climate change, rainwater harvesting from the rooftops of homes and public buildings, and the efficient use of water.

They said the program is being implemented in coordination with relevant entities in the targeted governorates and with the participation of Vale Consulting and Administrative Services Company, within national efforts aimed at enhancing water security and raising local communities' capacity to adapt to the repercussions of climate change, in line with the priorities of the Economic Modernization Vision.

//Petra// AF