Jordan deploys AI to cut water losses
US-funded AI project detects leaks in Jordan’s water network
#Jordan #water - Jordan’s Water and Irrigation Minister Raed Abu Saud and Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smirat were briefed on the Smart Transformation Project for Water and Wastewater Services Management, a US government-funded initiative using AI to monitor water networks, detect leaks and reduce losses. Abu Saud described it as the first project of its kind in Jordan, with pilot areas already showing reduced network pressure and water losses. The next phase will focus on integrating data systems and building national AI and IoT capabilities.
SO WHAT? - Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, so reducing network losses has a direct bearing on how much usable water reaches households, rather than leaking away underground. Using AI to analyse consumption and demand data also lets authorities react to supply imbalances in near real time rather than after the fact, which matters most in Amman, where more than half the Kingdom’s water subscribers are concentrated.
KEY POINTS:
The US government-funded Smart Transformation Project for Water and Wastewater Services Management uses AI to monitor water networks, detect leaks early and reduce water losses across Jordan’s water facilities.
The project is the first of its kind in Jordan to apply AI-based monitoring to water networks, with pilot areas already showing reduced network pressure and lower water losses.
AI-powered analysis of consumption and demand data is helping authorities identify supply imbalances more quickly and develop alternative supply arrangements from other available sources.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Water Authority of Jordan, and water companies are developing smart systems to forecast demand, prioritise maintenance and respond faster to complaints, particularly in Amman, which accounts for more than 50% of the Kingdom’s subscribers.
The next phase of the project will focus on linking systems, integrating data, developing digital infrastructure and strengthening national capabilities in AI, data analysis and the Internet of Things.
The Smart Transformation Project for Water and Wastewater Services Management is built around a unified smart platform connecting supervisory control and data acquisition systems, smart meters, ERP systems and GIS through a centralised database.
The platform provides real-time data analysis to support operational decisions, replacing fragmented reports and manual analysis with a single integrated view of networks, facilities and resources.
Abu Saud said the ministry has a long-term plan to expand investment in digital solutions and build the technical capabilities needed to sustain them, as part of efforts to meet international standards for reducing water losses.
ZOOM OUT - Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth. The Kingdom has just 61 cubic metres of renewable freshwater available per person each year, which is far below the internationally recognised scarcity threshold of 500 cubic metres. Existing resources cover only around two-thirds of national consumption, and non-revenue water, lost to leaks, theft and inaccurate metering, has historically accounted for close to half the country's total water use. The government has been chipping away at that figure through a national plan launched in 2022 targeting under 25 percent non-revenue water by 2040, with losses down to 45 percent as of 2025. AI-based leak detection sits alongside bigger infrastructure bets like the $2 billion-plus National Conveyance Project piping desalinated water from Aqaba to Amman, and World Bank and other foreign-funded water efficiency projects.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: PETRA
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