Title: wastewater Reuse Management in Jordan :Applications & Solutions
Author: Bataineh,Fayez,WAJ Secretary Genera-E-mail:(Fayez_Bataineh@mwi.gov.jo), ULEIMAT, AHMED
ALI, Advisor, for WAJ Secretary General(Environment & Reuse E-mail: ulimat_ jor@Yahoo.com.).
Ministry of Water &Irrigation, (MWI) Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), P.O Box 2412 Amman 11183
Jordan. Fax 00962-6-5665872,
Key Words: Reclaimed water, Reuse, Health, Sustainable, Standard.
Abstract:
Jordan is about 90,000 km2 in area and the Jordanian climate is arid to semi arid. The annual
rainfall ranges from 50 mm in desert region, to about 600mm in the western mountains adjacent
to Jordan Valley. The long average total rainfall in Jordan is estimated at approximately 8.3 billion
m3/yr, of which about 85 percent is lost to evaporation with the reminder of water flows to valleys
and partially infiltrated into aquifer.
Water management has long been recognized as one of the most critical issues for the
sustainability of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. According to Jordan's Water Strategy issued
in (2009), the country's annual per capita water availability is less than 150 m 3/yr. Available water
supply is less than the demand, and with continuing population growth, per capita availability is
projected to keep declining in the coming years. It is also stated in the water strategy that
"wastewater is not managed as "waste" but is collected and used in an efficient and optimized
manner." Beneficial use of reclaimed water has been recognized as a crucial water management
component and control use of reclaimed water has been grown significantly during the past
decade.
The Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) is responsible for the management of water and wastewater
system in the country, and also responsible for managing the supply of treated effluent for reuse
purposes. Development of wastewater collection and treatment systems started mostly during
1980s. Most treatment plants in early years used waste stabilization ponds (natural treatment
system). As the population grew rapidly during 1990s as a result of high natural population
growth, influxes of refugees and returnees to the country, many of the treatment plants became
overloaded and upgrade of the treatment plants became an urgent issue for the government.
During the 2000s, treatment plants have been upgraded employing mechanical treatment
processes for more efficient treatment and higher effluent quality occurred. One of these
treatment plants is As-samra working with an activated sludge system that replaced the lagoon
treatment system and considered as the largest treatment plant in the country with a treatment
capacity of 267,000 m3/d operating under (BOT) contract. Currently Over 64% of the Jordanian
population is connected to sewerage system and raw wastewater is discharged to 25 wastewater
treatment plants in operation, of which 21 plants have mechanical treatment processes, and 4
plants are utilizing natural treatment processes.
Approximately 117 million cubic meter (MCM) flows to the existing treatment plants and about 110
MCM of reclaimed water was produced in 2010. Most of reclaimed water is discharged from Assamra treatment plant and flowing through Zarqa River to the King Talal dam for the unrestricted
use in Jordan Valley after mixing with natural surface water supplies and flood water. The effluent
from smaller treatment plants have been used locally predominantly for fodder crop irrigation.
The use of treated municipal wastewater is regulated through the water reuse standard
JS893:2006, issued by the Institution for Standards and Metrology. The current standard was
issued in 2006, replacing the previous standards from 1995 and 2002. The standards allow
irrigation of agricultural crops that will not be eaten raw. The use of reclaimed water for other
purposes such as cooling and fire fighting are permitted on a case by case basis, when confirmed
with appropriate studies. Water reuse is planned concurrently with the construction of wastewater
treatment plants.
WAJ has been contracting with farmers to provide them with reclaimed water for agricultural
irrigation; larger scale sites of this kind include, among others, As-Samra, Madaba, Ramtha,
Akeder, and Mafraq. As of 2009, a total of about 760 ha is irrigated with reclaimed water under
contracts with WAJ. It is worth noting that fodder crop irrigation is the dominant application for all
other water reuse schemes in Jordan, with a few exception of irrigating trees such as date palm
and olive. In an effort to integrate reclaimed water resources in national water planning, the
government of Jordan, with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has been
for the past ten years implementing several projects for direct water reuse activities. Wadi Mousa Water
Reuse Pilot Project is one of these projects that seek to demonstrate that reclaimed water reuse can be
reliable, commercially viable, socially acceptable, environmentally sustainable and safe.
Progress in wastewater reuse in Jordan has been significant .Initiatives are underway to further
enhance the framework of laws and standards for improved integration of treatment requirements
for the wastewater with likely reuse of the treated effluent in order to minimize the treatment costs,
ensure public health and preserve the environment. Further evolution of the legislation may also
allow for more flexible decision -making processes, and higher -value uses of reclaimed water.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in industrial use of reclaimed water. Even
though Aqaba is the only WWTP currently providing reclaimed water for industrial purposes, plans
to introduce reclaimed water for industrial cooling and other process water has been considered,
and WAJ recently made a contract in Ma'an for reclaimed water use at the Ma'an Industrial Park.
Given the economic impact of industries, WAJ is expecting similar development will happen in
other industrial estates.
In conclusion, this paper will discuss the present status and the future plans in further promote
beneficial use of reclaimed water, including the institutional arrangement and operations, and to
fully integrate water reuse into the country's water strategy.