VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #2994/01 1931311
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121311Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9513
INFO RUEHDOI/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3265
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0678
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 4541
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3641
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1799
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 5284
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 0768

UNCLAS AMMAN 002994 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
State for NEA/ELA, NEA/RA (Lawson), and OES/PCI (Salzberg, Blaine) 
USAID for Miller and Deely and for ANE 
Cairo for USAID (David Barth) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAID PGOV EAGR JO
SUBJECT: Water Update in Jordan 
 
Refs: A) AMMAN 2562; B) AMMAN 638; C) 06 AMMAN 8959; D) 06 AMMAN 
8401 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Rainfall close to long-term averages over the 
last year in Jordan has helped ease water shortages, at least in the 
short-run.  Miyahuna, the new privately-run water company in Amman, 
expects water consumption in the city to grow by 8 percent annually, 
meaning 20,000 or more new connections a year.  Miyahuna is focused 
on a long-term strategy for investing in the city's water 
infrastructure and supplying water to its 2.6 million customers. 
End Summary. 
 
Water Storage and Rainfall in Jordan 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U)  As of April 15 the portion of Jordan's water supply stored 
in reservoirs stood at 135 million cubic meters (MCM), only 41 
percent of total capacity, but up from the 122 MCM total in February 
¶2007.  In particular, water reserves in the Al Wehdah (Unity) Dam on 
the Yarmouk River (total capacity is 110 MCM) modestly increased 
from 3 MCM in February 2007 to 11 MCM in April 2007 (Ref B). 
Cumulative average rainfall for Jordan as of the end of May 2007 was 
238 millimeters, 91 percent of the long-term average.  This 
represents an improvement over last year's total rainfall amount, 
but not as good as the wet 2004-2005 rain season. 
 
New Water Management in Amman 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) A new water company for Amman, Miyahuna, was launched in 
July 2007 as a limited liability corporation.  Jose Valdez, the 
Chief of Party for the Amman Water Management/Commercialization 
Assessment, noted in July 9 discussions with Econoffs that the 
company had progressed from being a solely government-run entity 
prior to 1999, to a joint venture management contract company from 
1999-2006, to the current structure of being privately operated but 
government-owned.  Highlighting Miyahuna's new focus on a long-term 
strategy, he commented that the company can now use collected 
revenues for reinvestment in assets, instead of turning them over to 
the Government of Jordan. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Valdez noted that the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) is 
still responsible for large projects, such as building dams, 
reservoirs, large pipes, and the sewage system, but Miyahuna 
controls the maintenance, operation, and small expansions of Amman's 
water system.  Miyahuna purchases all the water from WAJ.  Given 
that the GOJ continues to regulate the price of the water, he said 
Miyahuna does not control the prices it charges customers. 
 
Improving Amman's Water Supply 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Currently, water is only pumped to homes in Amman once a 
week, and customers must fill up their water tanks to last until the 
next delivery.  Several customers have expressed frustration with 
the Jordanian water supply system, complaining of bacteria 
accumulating in tanks, water shortages, and potential loss of water 
from a leaky faucet. 
 
¶6. (SBU) With an expected 8 percent growth in water consumption 
annually in Amman, Valdez suggested that many changes had to take 
place in order to ensure a sufficient supply of water to the city. 
One of the main goals of the new company is to reduce water losses 
from 43 percent to 32 percent over the next five years.  Valdez said 
that the main causes of this water loss are theft from illegal 
connections and siphoning, but there is also a significant number of 
leaky and faulty pipes.  He said the new company is attempting to 
fix these problems by dividing Amman into 44 zones and 330 districts 
and tackling each district individually, beginning with the heaviest 
water consumption areas. 
 
¶7. (SBU) According to Valdez, investment totaling JD 137 million 
($196M) would be needed to renovate the water network, eliminate 
inefficiencies, and reduce water loss.  He said that the company 
would invest JD 80 million ($115M) in this program over the next 
five years, but would require additional donor financing to create a 
high-quality system.  He noted that USAID is providing much of the 
technical assistance for this rehabilitation program (Ref D). 
 
¶8. (SBU) Valdez added that having a continuously flowing water 
supply, versus the current weekly delivery system, would help 
identify water loss areas.  It would also reduce illness, in his 
view, by providing a fresh supply, less prone to harbor bacteria. 
COMMENT:  The current system does, however, promote water 
conservation habits in Jordan, where average water consumption per 
person is 21 gallons per day compared to some 100 gallons per day in 
the United States.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Valdez briefly discussed potential options for new water 
sources for the city, including the Disi Aquifer and the Red-Dead 
Project (Refs A, C).  He noted that the Disi Aquifer offered a short 
term solution, but that the Red-Dead project was needed for 
sustainable drinking water supplies, as well as electrical and 
agricultural needs. NOTE:  Press reported on June 26, 2007 that 
eleven firms have qualified to submit proposals for a feasibility 
study for the Red-Dead project.  End Note. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
RUBENSTEIN