Gov’t: Our water, crops safe and comply with international standards

Amman: The government affirmed that there is no pollution in the water of the Yarmouk River and the King Abdullah Canal. It added that regular laboratory testing is carried out in accordance with a set program and alternately between ministries and official institutions to guarantee the water's safety. The specialized committees in the Ministries of Water and Irrigation, Health, Agriculture and Water Authority concluded that the programs to monitor water sources and ensure their quality and safety of the water of the Yarmouk River and the King Abdullah Canal are sound, conform to the Jordanian water standard, and are completely free of contamination especially "cholera," according to Minister of Government Communications and official government spokesperson Muhannad Mubaideen. In line with the Jordanian standard, he said, all tests conducted by different parties consistently confirmed the safety of the river and canal water, and thus the safety of drinking water and irrigation water for crops. Accordingly, the technical committees collected samples from the entrance to the tunnel under the Yarmouk River that supplies the King Abdullah Canal. The Minister said that the Ministry of Water is conducting an advanced monitoring program on canal water, several sensitive water sources, and the outlets of sewage purification plants in all governorates to monitor the cholera bacteria. The program has been in place since September 2022 and is still being carried out today through the Water Authority/Laboratory and Quality Affairs, the Jordan Water Company - Miyahuna laboratories, and the environmental health laboratories in the Ministry of Health. According to Mubaideen, on April 8, 2024, the technical teams conducted field trips across Miyahuna Company. The samples that were taken during the visits revealed that there were no toxic strains of vibrio cholerae (pathogenic cholera bacteria) in either the tunnel, Dejania, or the Zai station outlet. In addition to samples of soil and fruit trees, he mentioned that the Mini stry of Agriculture tested the water used in agriculture in several laboratories and found no evidence of "pathogenic cholera." Mubaideen said that even though there isn't any vegetable or leaf cultivation on the Yarmouk River, there are some tree cultivations (citrus and guava) and the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Directorates of Soil and Water, Prevention, and Plant Production and Laboratories, continues to perform routine preventive checks on products from all production areas to ensure their quality and safety. Its tests are all 100% accurate. He emphasized that the private sector handles the processes involved in importing and exporting agricultural products, and that the government will respond by taking all actions required by the principle of reciprocity. Official scientific laboratory studies conducted in the Kingdom contradicted some leaks via non-Jordanian platforms that claimed water supplies were contaminated, harming Jordanian agricultural products. Source : Jordan News Agency