Province to Share Water Resources Expertise with Jordan

The water resources management expertise of the Provincial Government continues to be recognized on an international level, with the most recent recognition being an invitation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to assist Jordan with the improvement of its water resources management. Through NATO funding, the Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, in collaboration with the Kingdom of Jordan, is working on an advanced water monitoring and reporting network which includes real-time water data collection stations and data analysis techniques currently being used in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project is part of NATO�s Science for Peace and Security Program.

�Being able to share the expertise and knowledge gained here in the province regarding water resources management with developing countries such as Jordan is a very meaningful achievement for our water management staff,� said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. �Our government has a well-earned reputation for doing this kind of knowledge-sharing work with countries that require assistance with monitoring and managing their water resources. We look forward to a productive and successful partnership with our counterparts in Jordan under NATO�s Science for Peace and Security Program.�

NATO�s Science for Peace and Security Program contributes to the organization�s overall mandate by linking science to society through projects that apply the best technical expertise to problem solving. It focuses on security, environmental sustainability and other defined priorities of its member nations. The aim of the Science for Peace and Security Program is to contribute to security, stability and solidarity among nations. Collaboration, networking and capacity-building are means used to accomplish this end. A further aim is to facilitate continued democratic growth and support economic development among its partner countries.

Upon approval from NATO, the proposed project will begin in the spring of 2011. Partners in Jordan include Mutah University and the Prince Faisal Center for Dead Sea Environmental and Energy Research, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and the Royal Scientific Society. The proposed real time monitoring network will include climate and water quantity and quality stations, and will also include web camera stations. Data produced from the network, as well as the tools developed through the project, will be used for watershed management and climate change assessment of the Jordan River.

The Provincial Government has been involved with a number of other international projects in the area of water resources in countries such as Egypt and Russia. This includes a recently completed NATO project regarding the environmental security of the Nile River.

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Media contact:
Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca 

2010 11 29                                                   11:00 a.m.