Jordan’s Ministry and Dutch Embassy support MoU between World Waternet and Yarmouk Water Company

On Monday 22 February, the Ministry of Water in Jordan, the Dutch Embassy in Amman, Yarmouk Water Company and World Waternet met online to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU sets the framework for future cooperation in the newly established Water Operators’ Partnership. The partnership is funded by the Dutch government for a period of 3 years.

Raed Muzaffar Abu Al-Saud, Minister of Water and Irrigation Jordan, Dolf Hogewoning, Temporary Chargé d'Affaires of the Dutch Embassy in Amman, Montasir Al-Momani, Director Yarmouk Water Company and Frodo van Oostveen, Director World Waternet gathered live and online for this important moment.

“We are very pleased to see this MoU in place as it paves the way for long-term cooperation between our two water companies”, said World Waternet’s Regional Director MENA, Janette Worm.

Peer-to-peer support to improve drinking water and wastewater services

Like Waternet, Yarmouk Water Company is a water cycle company. Yarmouk Water Company is one of the three water companies in Jordan. They operate in the northern Jordan, where they face major challenges on a daily basis. The influx of more than a million Syrian refugees – on a total population of 9,5 million - has put substantial pressure on Jordanian cities’ municipal infrastructure and service delivery. The massive population growth has resulted in an ever-growing demand for water and stress on the water and wastewater infrastructure, which are often failing to meet standards of operation. With this extensive partnership, we aim to increase knowledge and skills to improve capacities and the performance of Yarmouk Water Company.

The cooperation is demand-driven and practical. The capacity building programme aims to improve daily practices around Irbid City’s sewer system and sewage treatment plants, focusing on cleaning, inspection, operation and maintenance. The programme also includes training on safety measures and procedures, including Covid-19 measures, surveillance and customer communication.

With this partnership we aim for a long-term cooperation with Yarmouk Water Company. The programme is in line with the Dutch government’s Blue Deal programme, which runs until 2030.