15 towns in western Irbid to be equipped with sanitation services

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday signed financial agreements with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) worth 33 million euros to finance the implementation of the project “West Irbid Wastewater Network”, a statement from the Planning and International Cooperation said.

The agreements include a 25 million euros concessional loan from the bank, a grant from the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund worth 5.9 million euros, and a grant from the Concessional Financing Facility worth 2.3 million euros, according to the statement.

Planning and international Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Heike Harmgart, EBRD regional head of the Eastern Mediterranean and head of the Resident Office in Amman signed the agreement in the presence of Water Minister Hazem El Nasser and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Fontana.

Fakhoury said that an additional grant of 20 million euros approved by the EU Regional Trust Fund (Madad) on December 6 will be signed later, bringing the total amount of this concessional financing to 53.2 million euros.

The project will finance the construction of first time wastewater services which will benefit approximately 75,000 inhabitants of 15 towns in the western part of Irbid Governorate, 18 per cent of whom are Syrian, according to the statement.

The minister voiced appreciation for EBRD in Jordan describing it as “a true success story, which translated into concrete projects on the ground supporting key sectors and areas in Jordan”. He said that, since 2012, EBRD has committed about $1 billion for investments in various sectors; 87 per cent of them being private sector operations in renewable energy (wind and solar) in addition to sovereign and sub-sovereign financed operations.

He pointed out that Jordan, as the first country in the region, will be hosting the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors and the bank’s Business Forum at the Dead Sea in May 2018, with the participation of representatives of 65 countries. 

For his part, El Nasser stressed the importance of this financing which is part of the Jordan Response Plan 2018-2020 and will improve the local sanitation conditions in 15 large towns in western Irbid, protect valuable groundwater sources in that area, and eventually contribute to increased treated wastewater for use in agriculture in the Jordan Valley thus allowing the release of more freshwater (currently used in agriculture) for municipal use.

Harmgart said: “We are delighted to continue our strong partnership with the Water Authority of Jordan and to help the government advance its resilience and refugee response programme. The EBRD’s investment will enable remote areas to be connected for the first time to the wastewater network; this will not only benefit the local community but also Syrian refugees living in Jordan. These projects will help relieve strained municipal services in Irbid and strengthen the resilience of the country as a whole.”

According to data from the ministry, the fund’s council has approved projects for Jordan worth 211 million euros, focusing on supporting education, child protection, training and higher education, improving access to health care, livelihoods and improving infrastructure in the fields of water and sanitation, of which 104 million euros are awarded for projects in the infrastructure sectors such as water and sanitation as well as education.