Jordan, EU and Germany sign agreements worth 77m euros to support water sector

AMMAN — Germany and the EU on Wednesday provided Jordan witha grant worth 25 million euros and another three grants worth 52 million euros to support the Kingdom’s water sector through the German Development Bank (KfW), according to a Water Ministry statement.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad A Najjar and Ennis Martin, senior manager for water programmes at the KfW, signed the agreements in Amman.

The agreements will finance the sixth phase of the Water Resources Management Programme (loans of 48 million euros from the KfWto improve wastewater treatment and dispose of sludge in an environmentally friendly manner), the statement said.

Najjar said that the water and sanitation projects will be implemented in Amman, Irbid, Ramtha, Jerash and Ajloun, especially in Syrian refugee-hosting communities that will serve around 80,000 people.

The minister said that the water sector seeks to enhance the water situation and “improve the environmental reality” in cooperation with donors and funding agencies, which will be reflected in the development of services provided to citizens.

Najjar expressed gratitude of the Jordanian government and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for “the great support” provided by Germany and the EU through the KfW to face water sector challenges and the impact of hosting refugees.

Secretary General of the Water Authority Bashar Bataineh said that the project includes the extension of the sewage network in southern Amman areas, where sewage services will be connected to a number of areas serving around 80,000people. 

The project aims to secure underground water sources and increase the amount of water allocated for irrigation purposes. It will also expand the sewage sludge landfill in the Khirbet As-Samra plant and establish two additional cells.

The second grant worth 52.4 million euros will finance the project “Water Supply and Sanitation Services for Syrian Refugees and Host Communities” in its ninth and 10 phases and infrastructure planning adapted as part of “Climate change in the water sector project, he said. 

The second grant will contribute mainly to the rehabilitation of water networks and the implementation of new sewage networks in various locations in the governorates of Irbid, Mafraq, Ajloun and Jerash, he added. 

In addition, the new subsidy aims to improve water supply and wastewater disposal for selected poor households, according to Batayneh.

The official indicated that the third grant agreement, worth 3 million euros, includes support for the Water Authority to contribute to the implementation of climate-adaptive infrastructure planning in the water sector project. This project aims to ensure efficiency and advanced planning to create new investments in sewage systems in Amman and Zarqa, 

He noted that farmers in the agricultural areas adjacent to the existing and newly planned sewage treatment plants will benefit from the sustainable provision of properly treated sewage water for irrigation purposes in accordance with the Jordanian standard for irrigation water.

Martin said that the EU and Germany fully support the reform of the water sector and infrastructure in Jordan with a focus on water efficiency, waste reduction and the provision of fresh water, which are one of the main issues in Jordan.

The value of the continuous bilateral support from the EU to the water and sanitation sector in the form of grants and soft loans provided, including the framework of the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian Crisis, more than 150 million euros, which increases the investment to more than 500 million euros.