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Good practice Imported

As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant — Zarqa River Reuse for Jordan Valley Irrigation

Jordan · Zarqa · See the Jordan profile · See the Zarqa profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 18% 60/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Jordan's largest wastewater plant treats ~70% of the country's sewage and discharges 133 million m³/year of high-quality effluent into the Zarqa River, restoring flow to King Talal Reservoir and irrigating over 12,000 hectares while generating 80% of its own power from biogas.

~70%
Share of Jordan's wastewater treated
133 million m3
Treated effluent discharged annually
12,100 ha (vs. 15,900 ha target)
Irrigated land under reused water at compact end
~80% (13 MW)
Plant's own electricity from biogas
As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant — Zarqa River Reuse for Jordan Valley Irrigation

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation — As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant Company (BOT)
Period
2008 (plant rebuild) – present; expanded 2012-2015
Keywords
wastewater treatment, agriculture, water security, river restoration

Context

As-Samra, Jordan's largest wastewater treatment plant, was rebuilt in 2008 as a public-private BOT partnership, part-financed by USAID and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, treating wastewater from the Amman-Zarqa conurbation of roughly 2.3 million people.

Activities

The plant, expanded again 2012-2015, treats an estimated 70% of Jordan's total wastewater flow and discharges about 133 million m3 of treated effluent per year into the Zarqa River, feeding the King Talal Reservoir for Jordan Valley irrigation, with on-site biogas cogeneration supplying about 13 MW.

Results

Peer-reviewed hydrological studies report water quality improved markedly, with fish returning to previously polluted river stretches. At MCC compact end, roughly 12,100 hectares of agricultural land were under cultivation using reused water, short of the original 15,900-hectare target.

Conclusions

The compact's own evaluation attributes the shortfall to slower-than-planned farmer uptake and distribution-network delays — an honestly reported gap reflected in a moderate rather than top governance score.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant Company (BOT)

Conditions for success

  • build-operate-transfer concession running through 2037
  • biogas cogeneration reducing plant's own energy costs

Common failure modes

  • irrigation-area target missed due to slower farmer uptake and distribution-network delays

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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