Jordan Times
Friday, June 3, 2005
US environment official
tours joint US-Jordanian cooperative projects in Zarqa
By Mohammad Ghazal
ZARQA — The US will strengthen its partnership
with the Kingdom in the environment sector by helping develop policies, roles
and programmes, a senior American ecologist said on Wednesday.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and
Scientific Affairs John Turner made the remarks during a tour of Zarqa
Governorate on Wednesday.
Accompanied by Environment Minister Khalid Irani, and other senior officials,
Turner visited the new Khirbet Al Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Turner was briefed on construction work on the plant, which will replace the
current overloaded facility, and treat up to 267,000 million cubic metres of
wastewater per day. This project alone will benefit 2 million residents of Amman
and Zarqa, nearly 40 per cent of the total population of the Kingdom, by
increasing the amount of potable water available to them.
The process frees up drinking water by reusing treated water and reducing
agricultural and industrial use of potable water resources.
Currently, the old facility receives 175,000 cubic metres of wastewater from
Amman, Zarqa and Ruseifa, three times more than its capacity, which is 67,000
cubic metres a day.
Sludge from the plant can be used as fertilisers if it passes necessary tests,
according to officials.
The tour included the Zarqa River, one of the Kingdom's environmentally troubled
areas. The polluted river emits a foul odour and is a breeding site for insects,
causing problems for the area's inhabitants.
The delegation also visited the Zarqa Wastewater Pumping Station, which conveys
70,000 cubic metres of wastewater daily to the Khirbet Al Samra plant.
Speaking to the media, Turner referred to his meeting with Prime Minister Adnan
Badran on Tuesday, where Badran assured him that the environment was a priority
for the government to see that people of Jordan have access to clean
environment, good water and good sanitation.
Referring to an environmental cooperation agreement between the two countries,
Turner said he would develop an action plan with Irani on how to strengthen the
ministry's programmes and cooperation with civil society and the private sector.
“I want to focus on the issues of access to fresh water and the efficient use of
water,” he added.
The environment minister, who underlined the importance of Turner's tour of the
governorate, said it was designed to examine firsthand the environmental
situation in the area.
He added that the ministry was currently working to rehabilitate the Zarqa River
and one of its priorities was to set up a plant to treat industrial wastewater,
which would provide a radical solution for solving environmental problems in the
governorate.
The Cabinet, during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, called on concerned
ministries and authorities to take measures to activate the work of a committee
tasked with identifying the environmental hazards posed by the polluted river
and submitting its recommendations within a month. The committee is expected to
draw up a comprehensive plan to address the issue, including a time frame for
implementation.
The Khirbet Al Samra plant, being built on a 25-year build-operate-transfer (BOT)
basis, is considered the first private-public partnership project of this
magnitude and form in the region.
The $169 million project is partially funded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), which is donating $78.1 million, while the
government is putting up $13.9 million. The $77 million balance will be provided
by the Samra Plant Consortium, grouping Suez Environment, Ondeo Services, Ondeo
Degremont Inc. and the Morganti Group, along with several banks led by the Arab
Bank.
The Swedish International Development Agency also granted $3 million in
technical assistance to cover the cost of preparing the project documents and
will continue supporting the project during implementation.
Turner, who concluded a two-day visit to Jordan on Wednesday, assumed his
current post on Nov. 13, 2001. In this capacity, he heads US Department of State
programmes and activities concerning infectious diseases, biodiversity, the
environment, climate change, oceans affairs, and science and technology.