Ministry of Water and Irrigation Secretary General Jihad Al Mahamid on Tuesday inaugurated a workshop titled “Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation Safety Planning (CR-WSSSP) Roadmap”, aiming to transition the water sector from a traditional reactive approach to a proactive, risk-management framework across all supply chain stages.
The workshop was attended by First Secretary for Economic Affairs and Water at the Embassy of the Netherlands Mariska Lammers, Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at UNICEF Jordan Jesus Trelles, and Secretary-General of the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) Khaldon Khashman, alongside water sector partners, donors and officials.
Mahamid stressed that the roadmap aligns with the National Water Strategy (2023-2040) and the sector’s priorities to provide sustainable water and sanitation services, highlighting the critical role of this risk-based methodology in protecting public health, ensuring service sustainability and boosting sector resilience in areas most vulnerable to water and climate risks.
He said that the ministry will maintain its regulatory and coordinating role, while the Water Authority of Jordan continues its supervision over water companies and service providers to ensure effective implementation, noting that the success of the roadmap relies on active partnership and continuous coordination among all stakeholders.
Lammers emphasised that strengthening climate resilience in Jordan’s water sector requires solid international partnerships and long-term cooperation, describing the roadmap as a significant step toward ensuring sustainable and reliable services, while commending the collaboration shown by Jordanian institutions throughout the development phases.
Trelles noted that ensuring the sustainability of water and sanitation services has become a necessity to protect public health and enhance community resilience against climate change, adding that the roadmap supports proactive planning to guarantee the continuity of safe services for all, driven by national and international adaptation efforts.
Khashman stated that the CR-WSSSP framework marks a strategic shift in managing utility services by integrating risk assessment across the entire service chain, from water sources to treatment and environmental discharge systems, adding that ACWUA remains committed to providing technical support, capacity building and expertise exchange through its regional network.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the organisers and partners reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing coordination to translate the roadmap into practical steps that enhance the sustainability and resilience of the Kingdom’s water and sanitation infrastructure.