Syrian-Jordanian joint minutes of meeting on al-Wahda dam to be signed today
The Syrian - Jordanian joint committee on waters on Sunday continued meetings in Amman chaired by Syrian Deputy Irrigation Minister Barakat Hadid and the secretary-general of the Jordan Valley Authority, Dureid Mahasenah.
Petra quoted an official at the Jordanian Water and Irrigation Ministry as saying that the Syrian and Jordanian sides fully discussed issues pertaining to the establishment of al-Wahda dam on al-Yarmouk river, the quality of the river's waters, the two countries' water shares and means of preserving them.
The source described the meetings between the two sides as being held in a very positive atmosphere, noting that in a press conference to be held Monday, the agreed-upon minutes of meeting will be signed. The source added that the minutes of meeting include the two sides' approval of study documents on the feasibility of setting up al-Wahda dam.
The source added that the cost of establishing the dam is estimated at 400 million dinars according to 1998 prices. The joint minutes of meeting also include consent for the joint monitoring of the quality of al-Yarmouk basin waters, the water shares allotted for each side and means of protecting these waters.
A well-informed source at the Jordanian ministry said that following the signing of the minutes of the meeting, the Jordanian side will seek sources to finance the al-Wahda dam project. The source did not rule out funding through Arab financing and supply funds.
A Jordanian official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Jordanian government intends to secure funds from Arab and international sources for the 400 million dinar (US $ 563 million) dam, which is to hold 225 million cubic meters of water.
The meeting was the fourth since October 1997, when both sides agreed to go ahead with plans to build the dam in accordance with a 1987 agreement. The Yarmouk begins in Syria, flows along the Syrian-Jordanian border and then joins the Jordan river downstream from the lake of Tiberias.