Towards Sustainable Management of Non-Revenue Water in Jordan

The USAID WGA aims to support Jordan's government in achieving sustainable improvements in its water sector. Non-Revenue Water (NRW), accounting for approximately 50% of supplied water, poses a significant challenge, depleting water and financial resources and hindering economic progress. Despite previous initiatives, NRW levels persist, demanding additional measures to be taken.

In collaboration with the water sector’s stakeholders, USAID WGA developed a National NRW Strategy (2022-2040), adopting diverse learning methods like data analysis, technical expertise, capacity-building, and communications to create effective action plans for each Jordanian governorate. The collective learning approach enabled the identification of best practices, resolution of challenges, understanding of underlying causes, and proposal of solutions to enhance NRW practices. Furthermore, USAID WGA, and through its support to the sector’s National Training Plan, is developing the expertise of sector professionals to enable them to achieve the national NRW targets in the strategy. Also, the Activity supported the amendment of the governance structure of the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) through a cabinet-approved Bylaw to help establish NRW units. Moreover, a Central NRW Unit was established within the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) to regularly monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed, thus ensuring effective monitoring and evaluation.

As part of a pilot initiative in Ma’an, USAID WGA is implementing a practical model showcasing effective NRW reduction practices. This initiative covered approximately 400-500 users and aimed to demonstrate replicable strategies across nationwide.  Additionally, USAID WGA supported the implementation of a strong internal and external communications campaign under the slogan "NRW Is Everyone's Business."