Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 143912 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AORC AS AF AM AJ ASEC AU AMGT APER ACOA ASEAN AG AFFAIRS AR AFIN ABUD AO AEMR ADANA AMED AADP AINF ARF ADB ACS AE AID AL AC AGR ABLD AMCHAMS AECL AINT AND ASIG AUC APECO AFGHANISTAN AY ARABL ACAO ANET AFSN AZ AFLU ALOW ASSK AFSI ACABQ AMB APEC AIDS AA ATRN AMTC AVIATION AESC ASSEMBLY ADPM ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AGOA ASUP AFPREL ARNOLD ADCO AN ACOTA AODE AROC AMCHAM AT ACKM ASCH AORCUNGA AVIANFLU AVIAN AIT ASECPHUM ATRA AGENDA AIN AFINM APCS AGENGA ABDALLAH ALOWAR AFL AMBASSADOR ARSO AGMT ASPA AOREC AGAO ARR AOMS ASC ALIREZA AORD AORG ASECVE ABER ARABBL ADM AMER ALVAREZ AORCO ARM APERTH AINR AGRI ALZUGUREN ANGEL ACDA AEMED ARC AMGMT AEMRASECCASCKFLOMARRPRELPINRAMGTJMXL ASECAFINGMGRIZOREPTU ABMC AIAG ALJAZEERA ASR ASECARP ALAMI APRM ASECM AMPR AEGR AUSTRALIAGROUP ASE AMGTHA ARNOLDFREDERICK AIDAC AOPC ANTITERRORISM ASEG AMIA ASEX AEMRBC AFOR ABT AMERICA AGENCIES AGS ADRC ASJA AEAID ANARCHISTS AME AEC ALNEA AMGE AMEDCASCKFLO AK ANTONIO ASO AFINIZ ASEDC AOWC ACCOUNT ACTION AMG AFPK AOCR AMEDI AGIT ASOC ACOAAMGT AMLB AZE AORCYM AORL AGRICULTURE ACEC AGUILAR ASCC AFSA ASES ADIP ASED ASCE ASFC ASECTH AFGHAN ANTXON APRC AFAF AFARI ASECEFINKCRMKPAOPTERKHLSAEMRNS AX ALAB ASECAF ASA ASECAFIN ASIC AFZAL AMGTATK ALBE AMT AORCEUNPREFPRELSMIGBN AGUIRRE AAA ABLG ARCH AGRIC AIHRC ADEL AMEX ALI AQ ATFN AORCD ARAS AINFCY AFDB ACBAQ AFDIN AOPR AREP ALEXANDER ALANAZI ABDULRAHMEN ABDULHADI ATRD AEIR AOIC ABLDG AFR ASEK AER ALOUNI AMCT AVERY ASECCASC ARG APR AMAT AEMRS AFU ATPDEA ALL ASECE ANDREW
EAIR ECON ETRD EAGR EAID EFIN ETTC ENRG EMIN ECPS EG EPET EINV ELAB EU ECONOMICS EC EZ EUN EN ECIN EWWT EXTERNAL ENIV ES ESA ELN EFIS EIND EPA ELTN EXIM ET EINT EI ER EAIDAF ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECTRD EUR ECOWAS ECUN EBRD ECONOMIC ENGR ECONOMY EFND ELECTIONS EPECO EUMEM ETMIN EXBS EAIRECONRP ERTD EAP ERGR EUREM EFI EIB ENGY ELNTECON EAIDXMXAXBXFFR ECOSOC EEB EINF ETRN ENGRD ESTH ENRC EXPORT EK ENRGMO ECO EGAD EXIMOPIC ETRDPGOV EURM ETRA ENERG ECLAC EINO ENVIRONMENT EFIC ECIP ETRDAORC ENRD EMED EIAR ECPN ELAP ETCC EAC ENEG ESCAP EWWC ELTD ELA EIVN ELF ETR EFTA EMAIL EL EMS EID ELNT ECPSN ERIN ETT EETC ELAN ECHEVARRIA EPWR EVIN ENVR ENRGJM ELBR EUC EARG EAPC EICN EEC EREL EAIS ELBA EPETUN EWWY ETRDGK EV EDU EFN EVN EAIDETRD ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ ETEX ESCI EAIDHO EENV ETRC ESOC EINDQTRD EINVA EFLU EGEN ECE EAGRBN EON EFINECONCS EIAD ECPC ENV ETDR EAGER ETRDKIPR EWT EDEV ECCP ECCT EARI EINVECON ED ETRDEC EMINETRD EADM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID ETAD ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA EMINECINECONSENVTBIONS ESSO ETRG ELAM ECA EENG EITC ENG ERA EPSC ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EIPR ELABPGOVBN EURFOR ETRAD EUE EISNLN ECONETRDBESPAR ELAINE EGOVSY EAUD EAGRECONEINVPGOVBN EINVETRD EPIN ECONENRG EDRC ESENV EB ENER ELTNSNAR EURN ECONPGOVBN ETTF ENVT EPIT ESOCI EFINOECD ERD EDUC EUM ETEL EUEAID ENRGY ETD EAGRE EAR EAIDMG EE EET ETER ERICKSON EIAID EX EAG EBEXP ESTN EAIDAORC EING EGOV EEOC EAGRRP EVENTS ENRGKNNPMNUCPARMPRELNPTIAEAJMXL ETRDEMIN EPETEIND EAIDRW ENVI ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC EDUARDO EGAR EPCS EPRT EAIDPHUMPRELUG EPTED ETRB EPETPGOV ECONQH EAIDS EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR EAGRBTIOBEXPETRDBN ESF EINR ELABPHUMSMIGKCRMBN EIDN ETRK ESTRADA EXEC EAIO EGHG ECN EDA ECOS EPREL EINVKSCA ENNP ELABV ETA EWWTPRELPGOVMASSMARRBN EUCOM EAIDASEC ENR END EP ERNG ESPS EITI EINTECPS EAVI ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID ELTRN EADI ELDIN ELND ECRM EINVEFIN EAOD EFINTS EINDIR ENRGKNNP ETRDEIQ ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD EAIT ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ EWWI ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEAIR ECONEFIN EHUM EFNI EOXC EISNAR ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM EMW ETIO ETRDGR EMN EXO EATO EWTR ELIN EAGREAIDPGOVPRELBN EINVETC ETTD EIQ ECONCS EPPD ESS EUEAGR ENRGIZ EISL EUNJ EIDE ENRGSD ELAD ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO ENTG ETRDECD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS
KPKO KIPR KWBG KPAL KDEM KTFN KNNP KGIC KTIA KCRM KDRG KWMN KJUS KIDE KSUM KTIP KFRD KMCA KMDR KCIP KTDB KPAO KPWR KOMC KU KIRF KCOR KHLS KISL KSCA KGHG KS KSTH KSEP KE KPAI KWAC KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KPRP KVPR KAWC KUNR KZ KPLS KN KSTC KMFO KID KNAR KCFE KRIM KFLO KCSA KG KFSC KSCI KFLU KMIG KRVC KV KVRP KMPI KNEI KAPO KOLY KGIT KSAF KIRC KNSD KBIO KHIV KHDP KBTR KHUM KSAC KACT KRAD KPRV KTEX KPIR KDMR KMPF KPFO KICA KWMM KICC KR KCOM KAID KINR KBCT KOCI KCRS KTER KSPR KDP KFIN KCMR KMOC KUWAIT KIPRZ KSEO KLIG KWIR KISM KLEG KTBD KCUM KMSG KMWN KREL KPREL KAWK KIMT KCSY KESS KWPA KNPT KTBT KCROM KPOW KFTN KPKP KICR KGHA KOMS KJUST KREC KOC KFPC KGLB KMRS KTFIN KCRCM KWNM KHGH KRFD KY KGCC KFEM KVIR KRCM KEMR KIIP KPOA KREF KJRE KRKO KOGL KSCS KGOV KCRIM KEM KCUL KRIF KCEM KITA KCRN KCIS KSEAO KWMEN KEANE KNNC KNAP KEDEM KNEP KHPD KPSC KIRP KUNC KALM KCCP KDEN KSEC KAYLA KIMMITT KO KNUC KSIA KLFU KLAB KTDD KIRCOEXC KECF KIPRETRDKCRM KNDP KIRCHOFF KJAN KFRDSOCIRO KWMNSMIG KEAI KKPO KPOL KRD KWMNPREL KATRINA KBWG KW KPPD KTIAEUN KDHS KRV KBTS KWCI KICT KPALAOIS KPMI KWN KTDM KWM KLHS KLBO KDEMK KT KIDS KWWW KLIP KPRM KSKN KTTB KTRD KNPP KOR KGKG KNN KTIAIC KSRE KDRL KVCORR KDEMGT KOMO KSTCC KMAC KSOC KMCC KCHG KSEPCVIS KGIV KPO KSEI KSTCPL KSI KRMS KFLOA KIND KPPAO KCM KRFR KICCPUR KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KFAM KWWMN KENV KGH KPOP KFCE KNAO KTIAPARM KWMNKDEM KDRM KNNNP KEVIN KEMPI KWIM KGCN KUM KMGT KKOR KSMT KISLSCUL KNRV KPRO KOMCSG KLPM KDTB KFGM KCRP KAUST KNNPPARM KUNH KWAWC KSPA KTSC KUS KSOCI KCMA KTFR KPAOPREL KNNPCH KWGB KSTT KNUP KPGOV KUK KMNP KPAS KHMN KPAD KSTS KCORR KI KLSO KWNN KNP KPTD KESO KMPP KEMS KPAONZ KPOV KTLA KPAOKMDRKE KNMP KWMNCI KWUN KRDP KWKN KPAOY KEIM KGICKS KIPT KREISLER KTAO KJU KLTN KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KQ KWPR KSCT KGHGHIV KEDU KRCIM KFIU KWIC KNNO KILS KTIALG KNNA KMCAJO KINP KRM KLFLO KPA KOMCCO KKIV KHSA KDM KRCS KWBGSY KISLAO KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KCRI KX KWWT KPAM KVRC KERG KK KSUMPHUM KACP KSLG KIF KIVP KHOURY KNPR KUNRAORC KCOG KCFC KWMJN KFTFN KTFM KPDD KMPIO KCERS KDUM KDEMAF KMEPI KHSL KEPREL KAWX KIRL KNNR KOMH KMPT KISLPINR KADM KPER KTPN KSCAECON KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KCSI KNRG KAKA KFRP KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KQM KQRDQ KWBC KMRD KVBL KOM KMPL KEDM KFLD KPRD KRGY KNNF KPROG KIFR KPOKO KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KHIB KOEM KDDG KCGC
PGOV PREL PK PTER PINR PO PHUM PARM PREF PINF PRL PM PINS PROP PALESTINIAN PE PBTS PNAT PHSA PL PA PSEPC POSTS POLITICS POLICY POL PU PAHO PHUMPGOV PGOG PARALYMPIC PGOC PNR PREFA PMIL POLITICAL PROV PRUM PBIO PAK POV POLG PAR POLM PHUMPREL PKO PUNE PROG PEL PROPERTY PKAO PRE PSOE PHAS PNUM PGOVE PY PIRF PRES POWELL PP PREM PCON PGOVPTER PGOVPREL PODC PTBS PTEL PGOVTI PHSAPREL PD PG PRC PVOV PLO PRELL PEPFAR PREK PEREZ PINT POLI PPOL PARTIES PT PRELUN PH PENA PIN PGPV PKST PROTESTS PHSAK PRM PROLIFERATION PGOVBL PAS PUM PMIG PGIC PTERPGOV PSHA PHM PHARM PRELHA PELOSI PGOVKCMABN PQM PETER PJUS PKK POUS PTE PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PERM PRELGOV PAO PNIR PARMP PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PHYTRP PHUML PFOV PDEM PUOS PN PRESIDENT PERURENA PRIVATIZATION PHUH PIF POG PERL PKPA PREI PTERKU PSEC PRELKSUMXABN PETROL PRIL POLUN PPD PRELUNSC PREZ PCUL PREO PGOVZI POLMIL PERSONS PREFL PASS PV PETERS PING PQL PETR PARMS PNUC PS PARLIAMENT PINSCE PROTECTION PLAB PGV PBS PGOVENRGCVISMASSEAIDOPRCEWWTBN PKNP PSOCI PSI PTERM PLUM PF PVIP PARP PHUMQHA PRELNP PHIM PRELBR PUBLIC PHUMKPAL PHAM PUAS PBOV PRELTBIOBA PGOVU PHUMPINS PICES PGOVENRG PRELKPKO PHU PHUMKCRS POGV PATTY PSOC PRELSP PREC PSO PAIGH PKPO PARK PRELPLS PRELPK PHUS PPREL PTERPREL PROL PDA PRELPGOV PRELAF PAGE PGOVGM PGOVECON PHUMIZNL PMAR PGOVAF PMDL PKBL PARN PARMIR PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PDD PRELKPAO PKMN PRELEZ PHUMPRELPGOV PARTM PGOVEAGRKMCAKNARBN PPEL PGOVPRELPINRBN PGOVSOCI PWBG PGOVEAID PGOVPM PBST PKEAID PRAM PRELEVU PHUMA PGOR PPA PINSO PROVE PRELKPAOIZ PPAO PHUMPRELBN PGVO PHUMPTER PAGR PMIN PBTSEWWT PHUMR PDOV PINO PARAGRAPH PACE PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOVAU PGOF PBTSRU PRGOV PRHUM PCI PGO PRELEUN PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PMR PRTER PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PRELNL PINOCHET PAARM PKPAO PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA POPDC PRELC PHUME PER PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PAUL PHALANAGE PARTY PPEF PECON PEACE PROCESS PPGOV PLN PRELSW PHUMS PRF PEDRO PHUMKDEM PUNR PVPR PATRICK PGOVKMCAPHUMBN PRELA PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PBT PAMQ

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 07AMMAN3806, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Balancing Development and

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07AMMAN3806.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07AMMAN3806 2007-09-13 11:24 2011-08-26 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Amman
VZCZCXRO6387
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHAM #3806/01 2561124
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131124Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0299
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0759
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3361
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 0781
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT 0521
RUEHDOI/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC
RUFTNAB/COMUSNAVCENT
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 003806 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA, AND OES 
STATE PASS USAID 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL/MEDEARIS 
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE/INTERNATIONAL 
INTERIOR FOR INTERNATIONAL/WASHBURNE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ETRD EAID PGOV JO
SUBJECT: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:  Balancing Development and 
Environmental Protection in the Aqaba Area 
 
REF:  AMMAN 2017 
 
(U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for internet distribution. 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority 
(ASEZA) manages the city of Aqaba and its surrounding 26 kilometers 
of Jordanian coastline.  Roughly 30 percent of this strategic and 
precious real estate is a protected marine habitat.  During meetings 
regarding environmental issues in Aqaba, ESTH Hub officer observed 
the area's good (water, wastewater use, and protected coral reefs), 
the bad (increased environmental pressures from rapid development), 
and the ugly (phosphate dust clouds and a gypsum mountain).  ASEZA's 
environmental commissioner gets good reviews for safeguarding 
environmental concerns amidst rapid development.  However, going 
forward, Aqaba and the Jordanian coastline will be an important 
stage to see whether the ecosystem can be protected in the rapid 
development that now defines the area.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Aqaba's Strategic Location 
-------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) ASEZA manages the 26 kilometers of Jordanian coastline at 
the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (GOA) (reftel).  Aqaba is many things: 
the entry point for maritime cargo; a symbol of Jordanian 
aspirations for increased trade; a key location in Jordan's growing 
arsenal of tourism hot-spots; a visible pilot city for 
self-governance and economic growth; and the starting point for a 
proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea water pipeline, which to many in the 
Government of Jordan is the long-term savior for the country's water 
crisis. 
 
3.  (SBU) During a recent orientation trip, ESTH Hub officer met 
with the ASEZA Environmental Commissioner, the Aqaba Water Company, 
the Marine Science Station, the Jordan Society for Sustainable 
Development (local NGO), the USAID funded AZEM project, and the 
Aqaba Industrial Estate.  USAID has played a significant role in the 
establishment and development of ASEZA.  ASEZA Commissioner for 
Environment, Dr. Bilal Bashir, one of ASEZA's six commissioners, has 
the difficult job of balancing the many pressures of growth in 
industry, tourism, and development with maintaining requisite 
environmental safeguards.  New projects require environmental impact 
assessments (EIA) as well as a civil defense study and a public 
health impact assessment.  The Environmental Commissioner received 
high marks from all contacts for striking the right balance and 
promoting the ASEZA environmental requirements through speedy 
responses to development concerns.  However, going forward, Aqaba 
and the Jordanian coastline present an important stage for the 
balancing act of matching development and political pressures with 
maintaining the critical eco-system. 
 
The Good - Water, Wastewater, and Coral Reefs 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (U) Coral Reefs/Marine Park:  7 km of the 26 km Aqaba area 
coastline (approximately 30 percent) is a protected Marine Park and 
vibrant coral reef habitat, established with support from the Middle 
East Regional Cooperation (MERC) funded Jordan-Israel-Palestinian 
cooperative project.  The Marine Science Station (MSS) in Aqaba was 
founded in 1974 as a collaborative project between the University of 
Jordan and Yarmouk University.  The eight researchers at the MSS 
collaborate with the Interuniversity Institute (IUI) in Israel in 
monitoring the GOA ecosystem.  Eight monitoring stations along 
Jordan's coastline complement the four Israeli monitoring stations 
in the GOA.  MSS researchers conduct semi-annual joint cruises with 
Israeli researchers in the GOA.  MSS credits their collaboration 
with Israeli counterparts for a recent decision by Israel to move a 
fish-farm in the GOA to an inland location, which will improve the 
coral habitat.  MSS and IUI will collaborate as consultants for the 
entity awarded the EIA contract for the Red-Dead pipeline project. 
 
5. (U) The MSS gives good marks to GOA water quality.  The Red Sea 
is a low nutrient water body, and the coral reefs are healthy 
despite the increase in nutrients deposited from the land water. 
MSS credits this to improved monitoring, EIA's, and the prohibition 
on wastewater discharge into the gulf.  The strong biodiversity in 
the GOA is evidenced by MSS estimates of 500 fish species (the 
Mediterranean has roughly 600 species). 
 
AMMAN 00003806  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
6. (SBU) Water:  Aqaba residents enjoy a continuous 24-hour supply 
of the best-tasting water in Jordan.  The roughly 13.5 million cubic 
meters (MCM) consumed by Aqaba comes through a pipeline from the 
Disi aquifer on the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border.  Despite a 10-day 
outage in the fall of 2006 when flooding in the nearby valley 
damaged the pipeline, Aqaba Water Company (AWC) General Manager Imad 
Zurikat was roseate regarding its ability to cope with increasing 
demand.  NOTE:  Earlier discussions with Embassy Officers have 
revealed that Zurikat is concerned about the impact that rapid 
development in Aqaba will have on water resources, and is uncertain 
how long the Disi aquifer will last.  Official GOJ estimates state 
the aquifer will last for 100 years, though other water experts have 
cast doubt on this claim.  END NOTE. 
 
7. (U) AWC, formed in 2004 with assistance from USAID, functions as 
a commercial entity with relative autonomy from the Water Authority 
of Jordan (WAJ).  GM Zurikat applauded the flexibility and faster 
decision-making process the structure provides.  The 274-employee 
organization is not tethered to the civil service bureaucracy, and 
performance-based salary revisions of 70-200 percent for key 
employees have resulted in improved morale.  Zurikat declared AWC a 
success based on improved service, faster response times to consumer 
complaints or issues, a reduction in accounts receivable from JD 5.5 
million ($3.9 million) to JD 1.5 million ($1.1 million), renovation 
of the water networks, and an increased degree of automation.  AWC 
is also profitable, having reduced the approximately 34 percent of 
unaccounted water in 2004 to 27 percent, partly attributable to 
improved metering and billing, as well as improved response times to 
fix leaks. 
 
8. (U) An August 12 AWC decision approved the development of an 
expandable capacity desalination plant in south Aqaba.  A consultant 
will develop the terms of reference for a build-own-transfer (BOT) 
arrangement for this plant to be operational in 2-3 years.  AWC is 
also consulting with the USG-supported Middle-East Desalination 
Research Center (MEDRC) based in Oman.  AWC projects that the cost 
of water from this plant will be comparable to the total real cost 
of the water from the Disi aquifer.  Zurikat believes this 
expandable plant will provide the flexibility to cope with projected 
increases in water demand for municipal, commercial, and industrial 
usages. 
 
9. (U) Wastewater:  Purple colored pipelines snake along the ground 
in Aqaba carrying treated municipal wastewater.  A bird sanctuary 
developed by the Jordan Society for Sustainable Development (NGO) is 
using the treated wastewater as well.  The recently constructed 
secondary treatment plant, completed with USAID support, provides 
water for industry and landscaping, while the upgraded waste 
stabilization pond system provides irrigation water for palm trees 
and forests, aiding ASEZA in ensuring compliance with the zero 
wastewater discharge policy into the Gulf of Aqaba.  ASEZA has 
created a special outreach group to educate school children and 
prevent them from cutting the purple pipes.  USAID has also 
supported various outreach programs on wastewater reuse issues and 
ground water quality and abstraction issues. 
 
The Bad - Environmental Pressures on the Rise 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
10. (U) The city of Aqaba is transforming quickly.  The downtown is 
ringed by construction zones.  The current capacity of 1,500 hotel 
rooms is expected to double to 3,000 within a year.  The population 
of 100,000 is predicted to double by 2020.  The 6,000 cars in the 
city swell to 12,000 most weekends.  During long holiday weekends, 
ASEZA projects that a transient population of 150,000 can enter the 
city, overwhelming existing capacity and leading to people sleeping 
in parks.  New development areas of Saraya, Tala Bay, Mission Hills, 
and Horizon are under construction, and include hundreds of hotel 
rooms, residential units, and swimming pools.  Another larger scale 
development, Ayala, has just been de-mined and construction should 
commence shortly.  An old naval facility in the downtown area will 
be converted to a Marriott hotel to compete for beachfront access 
with other five-star resorts.  Despite the development barrage, 
there are no water conservation or demand reduction programs in 
place.  The two wastewater treatment plants are already running at 
full capacity and will need to be expanded in the near future. 
 
AMMAN 00003806  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
11.  (U) The plan to move the Aqaba port to the southern tip of 
Jordan's coastline is ambitious, but has not yet completed an EIA or 
a general feasibility assessment.  Funding for this ambitious 
project also is uncertain.  It is already raising the ire of 
environmentalists as the relocated port would infringe on the lower 
edge of the 7 km of the protected marine park.  As industrial and 
tourism density increase, the likelihood of sea-craft accidents and 
disputes on utilization of water ways in the GOA is on the rise. 
Increasing amounts of garbage are also entering the waters 
(reftel). 
 
12.  (U) Heavy industry is concentrated along the South Aqaba coast; 
a thermal power plant which provides much of Jordan's electricity, 
the oil terminal, rice and grain terminals, are all packed in the 
area.  Natural gas and electricity pipelines from Eqypt emerge from 
an 800-meter depth at the bottom of the GOA into the port area.  The 
planned AWC desalination plant will also be located here.  A new 
parallel industrial road has been built to insulate regular/tourist 
traffic from the increased industrial activity. 
 
The Ugly - Phosphate/Potash Dust, Gypsum Mountain 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
13. (SBU) Aqaba's commercial port is adjacent to the dense downtown 
area.  The loading pipelines/docks that move the phosphate and 
potash onto the ships are visible from the downtown resorts.  A 
tourist observing the loading process would be alarmed at what 
appears to be a large fire engulfing the ship, and in some case, the 
whole mountainside.  The dust blows with the wind.  300 days of the 
year it blows southwards - away from the city; another 60 days it 
can blow into the city causing public health concerns and tourism 
"turn-offs." 
 
14. (SBU) Blurring the skyline and creating an environmental 
conundrum is a gypsum mountain, a sulphate mineral byproduct from 
work by the Jordan Phosphate Mining Company.  ASEZA will not permit 
the gypsum to be dumped into the sea (as many other countries do) 
because of the impact on coral reefs, nor will it allow landfill 
burial due to possible groundwater contamination.  Stumped, with no 
technical solution in sight, ASEZA is seeking help to start an 
environmental audit. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
HALE