JORDAN’S Ministry of Water and Irrigation plans to build a new $45-million wastewater pipeline to transport sewage from Zarqa Governorate and parts of Amman to the Al Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant, said a report.

The new pipeline will be set up next to an existing conveyor that was built 30 years ago, said the Jordan Times report.

The Al Samra plant is being expanded on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) contract at a cost of $223 million. It treats 75 per cent of wastewater generated in the kingdom and produces 70 per cent of the country’s sludge. On completion of the expansion, it will have the capacity to treat about 133 million cu m of wastewater, compared to its current capacity of 60 million cu m, it added.

The ministry will also replace the old pipe which is worn out, leading to several instances of sewage leakage over the past years, it said.

The current pipeline, after being rehabilitated and fixed, will serve as a route for wastewater in emergencies.

Tender documents are being prepared for the project, with construction scheduled to start in April next year.