‘Rehabilitation work under way on Zarqa wastewater pumping stations’

AMMAN — Expansion and renovation work on two wastewater pumping stations in Zarqa Governorate is currently under way to address increasing pressure on the sewage network, according to government officials.

The rehabilitation work on the two facilities in the governorate, located 22km east of Amman, is being implemented by a local contractor at a cost of JD19 million, the officials said.

Under the project, the capacity of the West Zarqa Wastewater Pumping Station will be raised from 75,000 cubic metres to 110,000 cubic metres per day in order to address an increasing flow of wastewater in the governorate, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, the capacity of the East Zarqa Wastewater Pumping Station, located in the Hashemiyeh neighbourhood, will be raised from 20,000 cubic metres to 40,000 cubic metres per day, Nasser added.

In addition, submersible pumps with a capacity of 100 cubic metres per hour will be installed at the Hitteen Refugee Camp Wastewater Pumping Station in Ruseifa to improve the facility’s pumping capacity and the area’s environment conditions, according to a Water Ministry official.

The official, who preferred to remain unnamed, underscored that raising the capacity of the wastewater pumping stations will reduce pressure on the over-populated Zarqa Governorate’s sewage network, and create a clean and pollution-free environment for its residents.

He added that the project is funded by the Gulf grant.

In 2011, the Gulf Cooperation Council allocated $5 billion to finance development projects in Jordan during the 2012-2016 period. The grant is divided between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, with each country paying $1.25 billion.

A list of development projects was prepared by a committee, with some $425.4 million allocated for water and sanitation projects.