Ministry of Environment & the Higher Council for Science & Technology sign an agreement with Fastlink to monitor water quality in real time via mobiles

The project will use GPRS technology and seeks to protect water resources in a country that is considered one of the ten poorest in the world in water.

Fastlink GPRS service that covers most of the populated areas in the Kingdom, and ensures a speedy data transfer will be employed to monitor water quality in 13 fully-automated monitoring stations located on the Jordan, Yarmouk, and Zarqa Rivers, King Abdullah Canal, and at the inlet and outlet of King Talal Reservoi.

During the signing ceremony, Minister of Environment and CEO of the project Khaled Irani said, "It embodies a true partnership between the ministry and the private sector in their efforts to protect the environment. "Pollution affects all segments of society, therefore, we need to work as one team and contribute financially and morally to serve society."

The agreement, he said will enable the ministry to use the latest technologies in order to monitor thirteen stations located on the Jordan, Yarmouk, and Zarqa Rivers, King Abdullah Canal, and at the inlet and outlet of King Talal Reservoir. This will allow the ministry and other ministries to monitor water quality round the clock, and providing those concerned with the needed data to help them improve their decision making process.

He added that the ministry is looking forward to expanding this project in the near future to include monitoring the quality of air across the Kingdom and that this project is part of the ministry's efforts to identify and assess the status of environment in the Kingdom, adding that a special directory was set up as part of the ministry's organizational structure.

He also commended the Higher Council for Science and Technology and Fastlink's role in their efforts to protect the environment and water resources in Jordan.

For his part, secretary general of the Higher Council of Science and Technology Dr. Khaled Shreideh said that, 'this vital project is the first of its kind in the region. It is also expected to create a qualitative leap in identifying water pollution as it seeks to improve decision making in the water and environment sectors.

"Signing the agreement reflects a true partnership between the various national and developmental sectors, especially between the public and private sectors. It also underlines the need to create a partnership in order to introduce advanced technologies that will spur the development process in the country.
Since it's inception, the Higher Council for Science and Technology was keen to introduce new technologies that contribute to the development of different sectors.'

Dr. Shreideh noted that the Royal Scientific Society will run this project efficiently, to ensure that it will remain sustainable at the technical level. He also commended the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) role in providing financial support for the council to set up this vital project which monitors water quality round the clock.

Expressing his gratitude for Fastlink, he said the company supported the development process and introduced new technologies. He also thanked Fastlink for supporting this project which will have a positive impact on the water and environment sectors.

"The continuous cooperation between the Higher Council for Science and Technology and The Ministry of Environment in running this project will ensure that technology will help the ministry carry out its role in monitoring pollution levels.'

Stressing the role of mobile technology in development projects, General Manager of Fastlink Saad Nasser said that it falls in line with Fastlink's strategies which it seeks to implement.

"The information technology sector is witnessing vast developments, therefore government institutions and companies must keep up with such trends and utilize them to cater for vital projects in the Kingdom," he said.

'Fastlink,' he said, 'concentrates on the environment sector in addition to other sectors pertaining to youth, education, health and social development.' He added that water quality is a national issue that affects all segments of society. "Therefore, we felt that we should back the official efforts taken in this regard," he stressed, reiterating that Fastlink will continue to develop and create new methods based on GPRS technologies.

Nasser added that this initiative reflects cooperation between the private and public sectors. It is also part of Fastlink's strategy in supporting various sectors, and contributing to the investment climate and improving the status of Jordanians in different segments of society.

The long-term goals of EMARCU are to collect data on water quality pertaining to the major surface water resources in Jordan and make it available, and to provide a data collection platform for national water quality. Also the project aims to improve decision making in the water and environment sectors through real-time data provision and system modeling, and to promote data sharing among the national organizations that monitor water quality and conduct research.

Each of the thirteen monitoring stations is comprised of an air-conditioned metal container housing three sets of physiochemical water analysis equipment and an embedded personal computer. The three measuring sets are: 1 ) for temperature, pH, EC, turbidity & DO measurement, 2) T-N & T-P, and 3) COD. A continuous sampling pump withdraws water from the water body into a conditioning tank inside the container. Samples for analysis are automatically drawn and excess water is drained back into the water body.