A Closer Look at MIYA and Its Solution for Jordan

In Jordan, talking about the issue of water scarcity continues to be commonplace. Actually addressing it is still another matter entirely.

In fact, many residents of the Kingdom, visitors from abroad and researchers from faraway are accustomed to hearing Mohammad Al Najjar, Minister for Water and Irrigation, and his thoughts on the country’s water situation, especially recently in the February issue of Global Water Intelligence Magazine where he quoted: “Many urban Jordanian households receive an intermittent supply of water for just 12-36 hours each week.”

The secretary general of the water authority, Bashar Bataineh, commented that in rural areas of the country “this could be as little as 12-36 hours every three weeks;” in reading these words, one gets a true sense of how dismal the current situation is and how important future action will be.

So what exactly can be done?

The answer may come sooner rather than later.

Late last year during a National Policies Council Meeting, His Majesty King Abdullah referenced to Jordan’s quickly dwindling water supply directly, urging the use of modern technology, pairing it with “local and international expertise in water conservation” and “identifying the amount of wasted water.”

There is a solution in a world leading company that has a proven track record in solving these issues is European water operator MIYA Water.

This key contender in water resource and efficiency management does not shy away from projects in the non-revenue water (NRW) reduction space, regardless of size or complexity.

What is NRW?

This term is given to water from which no revenue is received. This does not only involve water that is lost due to leakages but also to water that is not billed to the customer.

Meeting all three of His Majesty’s requirements, — “modern,” “international expertise” and addressing the issue of “wasted water” — MIYA is also backed by 15 years of global experience, countless completed and ongoing projects, and nine million satisfied end users.

It also holds the largest accumulated experience in solving problems similar to Jordan’s around the world, having already executed over 200 projects in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, North America and South America.

Amplified and emboldened by its work in Portugal, the Philippines, Jamaica and the Bahamas, MIYA prides itself on its unique, strategic, four-step approach to water efficiency improvements and NRW reductions.

In the situation of Jordan (and that of a majority of the company’s other projects), that strategy is hyper-tailored and includes:

• conducting an in-depth analysis of the existing water system;
• drawing up a comprehensive work plan, detailing all logistics of the project;
• implementing the plan while employing cutting-edge technology;
• and ensuring continuity and longevity of the solution by monitoring KPIs throughout the project and transferring maintenance and technical know-how to the local team.

In Portugal for example, with a climate similar to Jordan’s and more specifically Amman’s, a massive NRW project is underway through MIYA’s subsidiary INDAQUA. While still ongoing, expected positive results have already been achieved, with NRW reduction brought from 30%+ to below 20% and losses to around 10%.

Following the strategy above and estimating similar results, MIYA stands in an excellent position — as does Jordan as its benefactor — to combat alarming figures recently announced by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) that place the Kingdom’s NRW at 52% and by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that estimate the resulting financial losses to be around USD 700 million per year.

MIYA’s solutions do more than just combat water scarcity; rather, a reduction of NRW provides these top five benefits:

• lower costs to the water company;
• ability to sell more water with increased availability;
• 24/7 access to water;
• reduction of carbon footprint in line with government regulations;
• and more potable water for other low carbon energy sources, such as green hydrogen.

Along with cost savings and immensely positive effects on communities, MIYA’s NRW reduction program for Jordan will help it achieve an even more altruistic goal: become carbon neutral by 2050.

“Jordan is at a crucial juncture to make one of the most important decisions — if not the most important decision in its history — for the health, life and longevity of its people,”

Says Stuart Hamilton, director of international business development and head of the Non-Revenue Water Department at MIYA

“With His Majesty King Abdullah late last year directing the government to put forward a long-term water strategy for the country and with a new program being initiated last month by the Ministry for Water and Irrigation, the Kingdom is ready to take a crucial next step in creating and assuring its water security.” Hamilton concluded, MIYA is the partner for the next step.

Read more about Jordan’s dwindling water supply in “Meeting the Challenge of Water Scarcity” and get to know MIYA in-depth in “Together, For a Healthy, Abundant Water Supply.”

By Adam Robertson