Announcement of Water and Sewerage Project in Jordan will Benefit Three Hundred Thousand People on May 19, 1985

I FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. BANK NEW RELEASE NO. 86/83 Contact: Fawzi H. Rihane May 19, 1985 (202) 477-5325 WATER AND SEWERAGE PROJECT IN JORDAN WILL BENEFIT 300,000 PEOPLE Jordan will continue its priority program to improve water supply and sewerage services with a project that will benefit more than 300,000 people. The World Bank is lending $50 million to support the project. The project is expected to result in an increase in the percentage of the population served by piped water supply from 89 percent to close to 100 percent by 1990. The percentage for waterborne sewerage services in urban areas will increase.from 32 percent to about 85 percent. The project includes extending 150 kilometers (km) and rehabilitating ·about 300 km of water mains for the water distribution systems in the Greater Amman and Jerash areas in the north. One service reservoir and two pumping stations will be built. The sewerage systems .in Greater Amman, Jerash and Aqa)>a will be extended by a total of 365 km. The sewage treatment capacity in Greater Amman and Jerash will be expanded by constructing or extending five sewage treatment works. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 1991 at an overall cost of $96.39 million. The government will provide $44.52 million and customers will contribute $1.87 million. The World Bank loan is for 15 years, including three years of grac~, with a variable interest rate, currently 8.5 percent, linked to the cost of the Bank's borrowings. It also carries an annual commitment charge of 0.75 percent on undisbursed balances. NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents.