The Syrian government has agreed to provide Jordan with a additional fresh water supply. Syria already provides the Kingdom with 33,000 cubic meters of water daily, in line with an agreement signed by both countries in 1999.
Syria's move is meant to assist its neighbor, which has been hit by water shortages for the past six years. The water is drawn from the southwestern Syrian Sahm Al-Golan dam, 135 kilometers from Damascus, into a station near Amman, via the Yarmuk river.
The two states are also collaborating on the construction of a dam on the Yarmuk River. With a storage capacity of 125 cubic meters, the Al-Wehda Dam will channel 225 million cubic meters of water to Jordan annually.
The project was put on hold in the 1980s, as political tension escalated between Jordan and Syria, mainly over Syria’s disapproval with Jordan's late ruler, King Hussein’s moderate approach in negotiating with Israel. The project was reactivated when Hussein's eldest son, Abdullah II, ascended to the throne in February 1999. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
