The volume of water that Israel sells to Jordan will double and is likely to reach 100 million cubic meters over the next year, following an agreement signed today by Israel's Minister of Infrastructures, Water and Energy Resources Karine Elharrar and Jordan's Minister of Water Mohammed El-Najjar. The ministers met as part of a meeting of the Joint Water Committee (JWC) of Israel and Jordan. The meeting took place at the Allenby Bridge on the Israel-Jordan border.
Since the mid-1990s, Israel has sold 50 million cubic meters of water annually to Jordan. Ten years ago this amount was raised to 60 million cubic meters annually. Under the agreement, Israel has been selling the water at the especially cheap tariff of $0.04 (NIS 0.16) per cubic meter, far lower than the NIS 8 rate per cubic meter paid by Israeli consumers.
However, this latest agreement hikes the price of water sold to Jordan to $0.65 per cubic meter (NIS 2.30). One water expert told "Globes" that this price would still mean Israel is subsidizing the cost of the water for Jordan, although a source involved in the agreement said that the price is similar to that being paid by Israeli consumers, not including water and sewage treatment.
If the Jordanian need to buy more water, the price will rise to $0.75 per cubic meter.
Elharrar said, "Signing the agreement to increase the amount of water is an unequivocal statement that we want good neighborly relations. I am full of hope that this is the first bud in cooperation between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan that will benefit both people in coping with current challenges."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 12, 2021
Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021