“Restructure, rehabilitate and upgrade the deteriorating services”

"In recent decades Jordan witnessed rapid and significant population growth with which the infrastructures and services could not cope. Additionally the efficiency of the existing infrastructures and services have experienced countable degradation due to various influences and deficiency of financial allocations necessary for operation and maintenance.

In order to enable the country to restructure, rehabilitate and upgrade the deteriorating services especially water, wastewater and power sectors, the government of Jordan represented by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has launched some projects based on the public-private partnership (PPP).
The first project was the construction of a mechanical wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 268.000 m3 per day. This phase of the plant is under operation since 2008 and Jordan is now negotiating the same consortium to construct the second phase of the plant to cope with the increased flow and concentration of the influent. This plant has contributed in providing treated water needed for agricultural industry in addition to having positive environmental impact presented by the gradual rehabilitation of the water dam (King Talal Dam) being contaminated by inflow of untreated wastewater coming from Amman and Zarqa cities . It is worth mentioning that this plant has over 95% of power recovery due to the utilization of the biological gas produced during the biological treatment of the sludge which adds more environmental positive impact presented by minimizing the carbon dioxide generation and emission.

The other mega project currently under construction and in which I represent the Ministry of Water and Irrigation as Project Director, is the Disi – Mudawarra to Amman Water Conveyance System project which will provide 100 mcm/yr of potable water to Amman, the Capital City of Jordan. The scheme of this project consists of the construction of 55 production wells, 9 piezometer wells, a conveyance steel pipeline of approximately 350 km length and associated infrastructure, running from Mudawarra in the South (Saudi Arabian Border), to Amman. This project was launched also by applying PPP and is under implementation of BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) concept. The commercial operation of this system is expected to start early 2013 and the consortium of investors will own and operate this project for 25 years after which the system will be rehabilitated and handed over to the Government of Jordan.

MWI is currently working on the materialization of the Red-Dead Canal. The government of Jordan has announced the unilateral launch of the Red-Dead Canal Project during the regional meeting of the World Economic Forum. It was announced along with a number of mega-projects to be undertaken by Jordan. This canal, when constructed, will salvage the dying sea by stopping the dramatic decrease in the water level, in addition to provide Jordan with hydropower necessary for the desalination of the saline sea water. The Government of Jordan is currently in the process of procurement of interested Private entities to contribute in financing this vital and ambitious project.”