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Ammon News - The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation announced Tuesday an additional a €30-million grant from the European Union (EU) through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to finance the construction of a greenfield wastewater treatment facility in Al Ghabawi on the outskirts of the capital, Amman.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan, said that the total financing for the project amounts to €71.3 million, funded by the aforementioned grant, and a €41.3-million soft loan provided by the EBRD.

Toukan added that the funding will contribute to the construction of a modern wastewater treatment plant in the Al-Ghabawi area, in order to improve the level of services provided to citizens, and develop the water and sanitation system, in line with government priorities within the Executive Program 2023-2025 to the economic modernization vision.

The project will contribute to raise the efficiency of the wastewater treatment system in Jordan, address environmental risks and any health damage in the surrounding area, and rehabilitate capacities in refugee hosting areas.

The agreement was signed in the presence of EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohamed Al Najjar and EU Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou.

Minister Toukan said: "I would like to sincerely thank the EBRD for the concessional support extended to this priority project. I would also like to thank the EU for offering this significant grant of €30 million, which provides a more flexible and speedy response to the urgent needs to support investment projects. Indeed, EBRD in Jordan has been a true success story, which translated into concrete projects on the ground supporting key sectors and areas in Jordan."

In turn, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Muhammad Najjar, said that the Water Authority / Ministry of Water and Irrigation will establish a wastewater purification plant transported by tankers in the Al Ghabawi area, 20 km east of the capital, Amman, with an estimated capacity of 24,750 cubic meters per day, by which the station would receive waste water tanks instead of the primary treatment plant in Ain Ghazal area.

President Renaud-Basso said: "We are very proud to support the government of Jordan in improving and increasing the capacity of Jordan’s wastewater services through the construction of the Al Ghabawi septic tank facility. This investment will not only provide better services for households not connected to the main system, but it will also support the country’s resilience to the refugee crisis through additional infrastructure capacity while mitigating environmental harm in the surrounding communities."

European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou said: "The Al-Ghabawi wastewater project is not only a wastewater treatment facility; it will set an example on resources’ efficiency and combine the possibility to exploit sludge further in waste-to-energy, as well as the possibility for contributing to composting Such projects contribute to the improvement of the lives of people living in these communities, and offer opportunities for training and employment, in addition to contributing to Jordan’s efforts for meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in climate change action."