Jordan Plans to Build Desalination Plant on Red Sea

Jordan will build a desalination plant on the Red Sea that will begin operating within five years, according to an announcement on Sunday. The plant will be built in the Gulf of Aqaba in southern Jordan and will cost about $1 billion, according to the ministry of water and irrigation. The water from the plant will be sent by pipeline throughout the country.

Jordan currently is suffering from a severe drought. Reserves of its dams holding drinking water are currently at one-third of their normal capacity, the French news agency AFP reported. Jordan requires about 1.3 billion cubic meters of water per year.