Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation has started a new technical study to measure the level and status of underground water in the Huwara aquifer in Irbid to assess the viability of drilling new wells, the Jordan Times reported Thursday (July 12th).
Measuring the status of the aquifer in eastern Irbid is part of the ministry’s measures seeking to improve water supply in Huwara and adjacent areas, said ministry spokesman Omar Salameh.
Minister of Water and Irrigation Munir Oweiss instructed the ministry’s technical teams to evaluate the status of the Huwara aquifer during a visit to Irbid earlier this week.
"The study will reveal if it is possible to dig new wells and if it is viable to operate sealed wells to ultimately provide additional water amounts to people in Huwara and adjacent villages in Irbid," Salameh said.
Water demand in the northern governorates of Irbid, Jerash, Ajloun and Mafraq increased by 40% over the past seven years as a result of the Syrian refugee crisis, with the share of water per capita dropping by almost half in the north.
