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Jordan signs $121m loan deal to upgrade King Abdullah Canal

By Gavin Gibbon
The work on King Abdullah Canal is part of a wider project to improve water efficiency in Jordan Creative Commons
The work on King Abdullah Canal is part of a wider project to improve water efficiency in Jordan

Germany’s KfW Development Bank has partnered with Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation to provide a €115 million loan ($121.73 million) towards the upgrade of the 65km northern part of King Abdullah Canal.

Water minister, Mohammad Najjar, who signed the deal with KfW Amman office director Mark Schwiete, said the project will pump 10 million cubic metres of water annually to 300,000 people and help reduce water loss and energy costs.

He said the water sector and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation are seeking more funding for further water projects, in a bid to boost the efficiency of water services in the kingdom.

The project will supply additional drinking water to several regions and irrigation water to the Jordan Valley.

In November last year, Jordan enhanced its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases to 31 percent by 2030, from 14 percent previously.

The government has worked hard to integrate the concept of sustainability into its internationally focused projects. A decarbonisation strategy was announced in August for Aqaba Container Terminal, billed as a “sustainable gateway to the Levant”, which aims to reduce its carbon footprint to net zero by 2040.

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