By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN – HRH Prince Feisal on Friday directed the Royal Water Commission to update the Kingdom’s national “Water for Life” strategy to address new pressing issues in water management.

The new national water strategy will address six new themes: supply and demand; water, energy and food; economy and financing; institutions and legislation; water quality in the natural environment; and trans-boundary and shared water.

Prince Feisal, who heads the commission, spoke on this subject on Friday during a private session titled “Collaborative pathways for a water-secure future”, held at the Dead Sea on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meetings that began yesterday.

In his keynote address, Prince Feisal said that all domestic and international stakeholders should collaborate to determine the best way to modernise water management in order to ensure the country’s future growth and prosperity.

“Water impacts all pillars of our economy: agricultural production, energy generation, industry and manufacturing. If we are unable to provide sustainable water resources to enable such economic activity, we are essentially limiting the growth potential and associated job prospects and livelihoods of our people,” the Prince pointed out.

During the session, experts discussed ways to transform water management in Jordan into a system that promotes job growth and public health, as well as how the looming water crisis might affect economic, social and political life in Jordan.

Ministry of Water and Irrigation Secretary General Maysoon Zu’bi said during yesterday’s session that an analysis carried out by the Water Resources Group suggests that Jordan’s economic growth and rising living standards will double water demand by 2030.

She said this increase is driven mostly by industry, energy generation, and increases in both population and per capita water consumption.