His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday launched the $1billion Disi Water Conveyance Project that will provide water to the capital Amman and a number of governorates across the Kingdom.

The project will also support economic and social development in Jordan with an integrated system to improve water availability.

The Disi project, implemented with local and international investment, is considered a vital venture in water resources management, addressing the problem of water scarcity and resolving it across all governorates, as it will raise the per capita availability of water from 145 litres to 190 litres a day.

Minister of Water and Irrigation and Minister of Agriculture Hazem Nasser said in remarks during the launch ceremony that the project will provide the Kingdom with 100 million cubic metres of high quality water annually. The ceremony was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, chairman of the Royal Water Commission.

Nasser said water will be pumped to the Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq and Irbid governorates during the first stage and will later also be pumped to the governorates of Jerash, Ajloun, Madaba, Karak, Tafileh and Maan.