EBRD provides $ 30 million loan to improve wastewater services in West Irbid

AMMAN — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Saturday announced a $30 million sovereign financing deal with the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), aimed at improving wastewater services in West Irbid. 

The investment will benefit around 200,000 residents, providing them with first-time sanitation services, according to an EBRD statement.

The funding will complete the construction of a wastewater network, initiated by a 2017 EBRD loan, and include the installation of new wastewater infrastructure and pumping systems. 

The project is expected to support Jordan's national goal of achieving 80 per cent wastewater network coverage by 2030, the statement added.

The new network is critical in addressing Jordan's pressing water challenges, with renewable freshwater resources falling far below the required 500-1,000 cubic metres per capita annually. 

Population growth has exacerbated water shortages, placing significant strain on municipal services. 

The wastewater project aims to reduce environmental and health risks linked to inadequate sewage systems, replacing harmful practices like cesspit disposal and cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Soud and EBRD Director and Head of the Eastern Mediterranean Region Gretchen Biery. 

Since its operations began in Jordan in 2012, the EBRD has invested over 2.2 billion euros in 74 projects across the country.