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Ammon News - Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar Saturday inaugurated an expansion project of the North Aqaba waste water treatment plant, which was launched in cooperation between the Aqaba Water Company, USAID and the German Agency for International Cooperation.

The expansion scheme aims to improve the sanitation infrastructure for the 150,000 population of Aqaba and accommodate any future population and economic growth in the southern region.

Najjar told the opening ceremony, which was attended by Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh and representatives of government and donor institutions, that the mega project will serve tourism and industrial projects, maintain supplies of treated water for drinking and increase the green area in the city, commending the multiple donors and partners in the project.

USAID Mission Director Sherry Carlin Carlin told the ceremony the water treatment station is a reliable source of water that is needed to support Aqaba's growing economy, noting that the United States is interested to be part of "this valuable partnership to find a safer water future for Jordan."

Aqaba Water Company Director Khaled Al Obaidyn said that his company, with the support of USAID and the German agency, has built new facilities to increase sewage treatment capacity from 12,000 to 40,000 cubic meters a day, stressing that the plant will improve the quality of wastewater for use as an alternative source of fresh water to cover industrial and urban needs and green areas.

He said that the expansion will increase by 25 per cent water supplies for domestic use by Aqaba residents, noting that the new facilities depend in their operation on green alternatives, such as solar energy and biogas produced from waste water treatment that support the sustainability of the plant.