Jordanian Parliament Investigatioin: Israel to blame for Yarmouk water pollution

After two weeks of "investigation" a special committee in the Jordanian Parliament has blamed Israel for the pollution of the Yarmouk River water last month. Obviously the political statement was clear.

By Khetam Malkawi

A Lower House fact-finding committee has finished its investigation into last month's incident in which the King Abdullah Canal was contaminated with pollutants originating from the Israeli side of the Yarmouk River.

In its report, expected to be submitted to the House speaker , the committee concluded that Israel violated the Wadi Araba Treaty signed between the two countries in 1994 and is accountable for the pollution.

The committee also found Water Authority employees responsible for not handling the problem in a timely manner.

On March 12, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said it stopped pumping water from the canal after it detected oil waste and sewage in the Yarmouk River. The river is a shared water resource for both Jordan and Israel and is one of the main tributaries of the Jordan River.

Israel has already compensated Jordan with up to 180,000 cubic metres of freshwater from Lake Tiberias, and the Kingdom is expected to receive an additional 50,000-60,000 cubic metres this summer as part of the compensation, according to Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Musa Jamaani.

The report also noted that the water in the canal was polluted although a previous statement by one of the committee members indicated that there was no contamination.

“We consulted several experts in the field and proved there was pollution,” a source told The Jordan Times , adding that the issue was discussed thoroughly by the committee before a final decision was made.

The committee, which concluded its meetings , summoned several concerned officials from the water sector to investigate the issue.