by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 02, 2014

AMMAN — The expansion of the Kufranjah Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ajloun Governorate is expected to be completed later this year, according to government officials.

The expansion, which is also accompanied by a project to extend new sewage networks in the governorate, some 70km northwest of Amman, will double the plant’s capacity, thus improving the area’s environment and health conditions, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said.

“The plant will be operational by the end of this year to end the problem of spreading cesspits in the area. This will help preserve underground water from pollution, improve the environment and support local communities…” Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The minister highlighted that area residents will be provided with treated wastewater discharged from the plant for the irrigation of fodder crops.

Expansion of the project commenced in 2012 with the aim of raising the facility’s daily capacity from 9,000 cubic metres to 18,000 cubic metres of wastewater.

The expansion of the facility and the sewage networks project are being implemented at a cost of over JD10 million, 80 per cent of which are funded by the German Development Bank (KfW).

The ministry’s spokesperson, Omar Salameh, said there are 27 wastewater treatment plants in the Kingdom that treat 122 million cubic metres (mcm) of water per year, 115mcm of which are used for industrial purposes and irrigating certain crops.

He noted that the ministry seeks to maximise the reuse of treated wastewater for agriculture and industry, highlighting that treated wastewater is considered a source of water for certain purposes.

Jordan, which is considered the world’s fourth water poorest country, suffers an annual water deficit of 500mcm and the per capita share of water does not exceed 150 cubic metres per year, well below the water poverty line of 500 cubic metres per year.

http://jordantimes.com/kufranjah-wastewater-treatment-plant-expansion-to-conclude-this-year