Amman, July 22 (Petra) –Ministry of Water and Irrigation's Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) detected 3 major water thefts on main pipelines in the city of Aqaba.

The action was part of an ongoing campaign to remove illegal water connections, conducted in cooperation with the Aqaba Water Company and other relevant authorities.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry said the crackdown uncovered fixtures to illegally siphon off water over long distances to fill large-capacity tankers.

The quantities were then sold to major factories, hotels, companies, and industrial sites in Aqaba, in violation of applicable laws and regulations.

The statement added that the campaign continued its work, based on the crackdown on the violations discovered on Tuesday.

During the crackdown, the teams detected 2 additional thefts using pipes with 1-2 inch diameters, which were supplying tanks with a total capacity of 1,350 cubic meters.

They also seized 29 pumps used to illegally sell water to factories, hotels, industrial sites, and car washes.

The ministry further stated the water thefts were illegally distributed to factories, hotels, industrial sites, and car washing stations.

The ministry indicated that the illegal water mains were disconnected and all encroachments were removed.

Additionally, official reports were filed and referred to the Public Prosecutor, who is continuing the investigation to complete legal procedures and apprehend all culprits.

The ministry expressed its gratitude to the citizens, the Ministry of Interior, the Public Security Directorate, competent authorities in Aqaba , and the judicial system in the Southern Region for their efforts and cooperation in the campaigns' success to curb encroachments on water resources.

The ministry noted water thefts and encroachments on water resources constitute economic crimes that affect national, water, and social security, and pose a direct threat to the water quotas allocated to citizens.

//Petra// AG