Improvement in the water supply for one million people in Jordan

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW signed agreements with the Jordanian government at the end of July for grants of EUR 40 million. Loans of the same amount are also to be made available for the project shortly. The funds will be used to finance investments intended to improve water supply and waste water disposal in the province of Irbid, which is particularly affected by the influx of refugees.

KfW and French development bank AFD have joined forces to prepare and carry out the project. Together with funds from the European Union, a total sum of EUR 152 million has been raised to give a collective European response for the first time to the current acute challenges in the Jordanian water sector.

The German financial contribution is to be used to fund measures aimed at improving water distribution and safeguarding the hygienic disposal of waste water. This is designed to secure and improve provisioning for a total of around one million people, including approximately 200,000 Syrian refugees.

Jordan is one of the most arid countries in the world. This is why managing the scarce water resources efficiently and sustainably is crucial for the sustainable supply and the economic development of the country. It also makes an important contribution to stability and avoiding conflicts in the region, especially against the backdrop of the heavy influx of Syrian refugees.

Since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, more than 600,000 people have fled from Syria into neighbouring Jordan according to the UNHCR. This puts severe strain on the water supply, especially in the host communities in the north of the country. The communities also face growing challenges with regard to waste water disposal. To support the Jordanian government in this acute crisis, KfW has continuously expanded its ongoing programme in the Jordanian water sector since 2012 on behalf of the German Federal Government, including supporting several emergency projects with a total volume of around EUR 100 million.