Globally, Jordan ranks among the lowest in water resources per capita; it relies on limited ground and surface water supplies to serve a rapidly increasing demand. High population growth rates and refugee influxes continue to cause tremendous stress on the country’s water resources.

In 2020, the Jordanian government finally hatched the more ambitious and costly option of tapping seawater desalination in the city of Aqaba. It gave the Ministry of Water and Irrigation the go-ahead to fast-track the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance (AAWDC) project. The project would be based on the public-private partnership model of build-operate-transfer (BOT).

The AAWDC project is expected to 300 MCM/year of fresh water. The proposed Aqaba-Amman pipeline would supply fresh water to the capital Amman and other districts in Jordan along its route.

The same year, Engicon was contracted to provide preliminary risk assessment, an environmental and social management plan (ESMP), and environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the AAWDC project. The services provided by Engicon include assessment of renewable energy option assessment. Other services provide assessments for brine discharge risks, seawater intake and brine discharge components. A comparative analysis options and a preliminary resettlement policy framework would also be provided by Engicon.

The project would be funded through programs set up by the European International Bank (EIB) and USAID; compliance with the respective environmental and social standards of these countries is required, as well as those of Jordan’s regulatory bodies.

 

 Services Provided:

  • Baseline Studies
  • Environmental and Social Impact Assessments
  • Environmental Policy Planning and Development of Environmental Policy Frame-works
  • Resettlement Actions Plans
  • Climate Change Studies
  • Marine Studies
  • Brine discharge risk assessment
  • Water intake prefeasibility