The European Union (EU) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have agreed to provide funds totaling €45m to improve wastewater services in Jordan.
Image: EU and EBRD’s loan will help provide 105,000 people with sanitation and wastewater treatment services in Jordan. Photo: Courtesy of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The funding will be used for the construction of wastewater network in the city of Irbid, the third largest city in Jordan.
EU is providing financial assistance of €20m through its Regional Trust Fund ‘Madad’ and EBRD is offering €25m. The project is also co-financed by World Bank’s Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) with $2.5m and €5.9m from EBRD’s Shareholder Special Fund.
The financing package of €53m will be offered to Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ). It will use the funds to connect households in 15 towns to sewerage networks leading to the Wadi Al Arab wastewater treatment plant.
It will also finance the infrastructure for a catchment area of 21.9 km2 and the installation of pumping stations.
With this project, about 105,000 residents of the western part of Irbid’s governorate, of which 18% are Syrians, are expected to receive sanitation services for the first time.
Presently, there are only about 63% Jordanians have access to wastewater networks and treatment systems. As part of its country strategy, the EBRD is implementing a comprehensive wastewater investment programme, with the western Irbid wastewater project being the third of its kind.
Recently, both EU and EBRD have agreed to provide a $9.7m loan (€7.9m) and €4.9m ($6m) to improve waste management services in Ulaanbaatar municipality in Mongolia.
The funding will be used for investing in a landfill, purchase new waste-collection equipment and introduce construction and demolition waste plant.
The new landfill will help the city in disposing significant part of its waste in line with EU standards and the new equipment will help to improve waste collection, transportation, recycling and disposal services.