Amman:Jordan signed with the European Investment Bank a 200-million-euro (212 million US dollars) soft loan agreement to fund the National Water Carrier Project.
The project, also known as the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Transport Project, entails desalinating the Red Sea water and supplying fresh water to Amman and other Jordanian cities, according to a statement by Jordan’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Sunday.
Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan and Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohamad Najjar signed the agreement with Gelsomina Vigliotti, vice president of the bank.
“This is the first financing agreement to fund the National Water Carrier Project,” Toukan said, expressing gratitude for the bank’s support for the project, which is the Jordanian government’s top priority to ensure water security.
According to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the total cost of the project is estimated at around 2.5 billion US dollars.
