Prime Minister Tells A/S Turner that Red-Dead is

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 004726

SIPDIS

State pass USAID
Interior for USGS/International and for BuRec/International
EPA for International/Medearis

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID OPRC KGLB IS JO
SUBJECT: Prime Minister Tells A/S Turner that Red-Dead is
Key to Jordan's Water Future

Ref: A) Amman 3364 B) Amman 3794


1. Summary: Prime Minister Badran told visiting OES
Assistant Secretary John Turner on May 31 that Jordan needs
the proposed "Red-Dead" water project to cope with its
status as one of the world's most water-short countries.
Jordan continues its drive to utilize every possible water
source but the Jordan River and Dead Sea are feeling the
pinch. USAID is playing an important role in building and
rehabilitating crucial water infrastructure. End summary.

Overview: Prime Minister, Environment Min., Jordan Valley
-------------- --------------

2. OES A/S Turner visited Jordan May 30-June 1 for a field-
oriented view of Jordan's water resources, especially in
sensitive border regions next to Syria and Israel. He met
with Prime Minister Adnan Badran on May 31 and had an
extensive tour on June 1 of the Zarka area north of Amman
with Minister of Environment Khaled Irani. Zarka is the
site of one of USAID's real triumphs, the As-Samra
wastewater treatment plant. Turner also met Aqaba Special
Economic Zone Authority Environment Commissioner Belal
Bashir and visited two rural environmental projects created
by the NGO Friends of the Earth Middle East.

Prime Minister Leads Charge for Red-Dead
--------------

3. Prime Minister Adnan Badran, in office for less that two
months at the time of his May 31 meeting with A/S Turner,
said that environment is "so important," is "at the top of
our agenda," and that his cabinet is making "a robust
environmental effort." His remarks have added credibility
because Badran is a rarity, a lab scientist (in marine
biology) who has reached the top ranks of government
service, including a stint as the Deputy Director of UNESCO.


4. While noting that Jordan's management of water resources
has improved over the years, PM Badran stressed the fact
that Jordan remains one of the most water-short countries in
the world. He noted that Jordan is getting significant help
from USAID to expand wastewater reuse and is trying to
improve water quality throughout the Kingdom.


5. PM Badran's core message, however, was requesting USG
support for the "Red-Dead" water project (Ref A) to take
seawater from the Red Sea at Aqaba, desalinate up to 900
million cubic meters per year and release the briny by-
product into the Dead Sea to stop its 70 centimeter per year
drop. At another point in the meeting, when Turner asked
how to increase water resources on the West Bank and in
Gaza, the PM's response was simply "Red-Dead."

AID As-Samra Wastewater Plant Helps Envir, Health, Econ
-------------- --------------

6. On June 1, A/S Turner and Minister of Environment Khaled
Irani visited USAID's flagship project in Jordan, a $169
million upgrade to the As-Samra wastewater treatment plant
north of Amman where the bulk of Amman's domestic wastewater
is processed. USAID contributed $78 million to a cutting-
edge 18-party financial deal for the Build-Operate-Transfer
(BOT) project. The upgraded As-Samra plant will
dramatically improve the quality of effluent from the
facility, thus making the water available for reuse in
agriculture. This will improve environmental and health
conditions along the Zarka River, will reduce pressure on
the Kingdom's fresh water supplies, and will benefit
agriculture by making more water available for irrigation.


7. A/S Turner and Minister Irani visited two sites
downstream of As-Samra to see the current dismal state of
the effluent as it flows into the Zarka River. The Zarka
River flows with foamy, dark green water that was being
illegally pumped for irrigation before the eyes of Turner
and Irani.


8. A/S Turner and Minister Irani gave interviews to print
and television journalists at another stop next to a highly
polluted stream strewn with tires. A/S Turner emphasized
the contributions of the U.S. Government and particularly of
USAID in improving the quality of life of ordinary
Jordanians. Irani, during his interviews, noted the
importance of the USAID assistance on water resource
management and said that rehabilitating the Zarka River was
one of his top priorities. Two lengthy articles based on
these interviews appeared in the Arabic press and one in the
English-language "Jordan Times."

Ministry Needs Strategy In Order to Become Proactive
-------------- --------------

9. Minister of Environment Irani met A/S Turner at the
Ministry of Environment (MOE) prior to the Zarka tour in
order to review the MOE's current priorities. Irani said
that institutional reform is his most pressing need. He
wants the Ministry to have a strategy, clear priorities, and
to become "proactive instead of reactive." He provided an
executive summary of an EU institutional reform project for
the Ministry that will begin soon. Irani was pleased to
hear that progress is being made towards sending an EPA
environmental economist to Jordan under the Free Trade
Agreement and the Joint Environment Forum (Ref B). Irani
was effusive in his appreciation of USG and particularly
USAID assistance to Jordan's environment sector.

Minister "Loves" NGOs
--------------

10. Minister Irani, formerly the head of the NGO the Royal
Society for the Conservation of Nature, said he "loves"
NGOs. He clearly intends to make NGO and civil society
involvement a cornerstone of environmental policy in Jordan.
He added that the major environmental NGOs are well
organized amongst themselves in Jordan. Irani said that
there are three NGO seats on a nine-person advisory panel to
the MOE, and that he pushed the environmental NGO umbrella
group to select their own representatives rather than have
the Ministry select whom it wants.


11. Irani also spoke highly of the GLOBE program, saying it
was "fantastic." At the same time, he said the MOE is weak
on awareness programs and that he wants to upgrade the
ministry's performance on this issue, including injecting
environmental issues into Jordan's school curriculum and
"getting outside the box" on environmental education.

Heavy Demands on Jordan Valley Water
--------------

12. On May 31, A/S Turner saw much of the complex water
infrastructure in the Jordan Valley, beginning with the Al-
Wehdah (Unity) Dam along the Yarmouk River that defines the
Jordan-Syria border. The dam is scheduled to be completed
in March 2006 and will ultimately hold 110 million cubic
meters (MCM) of water in a five-kilometer reservoir,
according to the dam's Project Manager Mr. Fouad Ejeilat of
the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA). The main purpose of the
dam is capturing water from winter rains to ensure a steady
supply for Jordan's Peace Treaty water commitments to
Israel, for irrigation in the Jordan Valley and for drinking
water to Amman, especially during the dry summer. Ejeilat
told Turner that the JVA expects to use 80 MCM annually from
the Al-Wehdah Dam, of which 50 MCM would go to Amman for
domestic use and 30 MCM for irrigation in the Jordan Valley.


13. Ejeilat also commented that there are many small dams
upstream of the Yarmouk in Syria that reduce the inflow to
the Al-Wehdah Dam. Pumps that draw water off the Yarmouk
for Syrian farms downstream of the dam reduce the amount of
the outflow from the dam that ultimately arrives at the King
Abdullah canal in the Jordan Valley.


14. Downstream of the Al-Wehdah Dam in the shadow of the
Golan Heights is the Adesieh Weir, where the Yarmouk's flow
is split for three uses: to Israel to fulfill water
commitments under the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty, to
the King Abdullah Canal for irrigation and drinking water,
and to the Yarmouk itself for in-stream flow. The Yarmouk
joins the Jordan River a few miles further on. Another
crucial but virtually unseen piece of infrastructure is an
input pipe to the King Abdullah Canal from Israel that
delivers Israel's reciprocal water commitments to Jordan
under the 1994 Peace Treaty. That inflow was flowing
vigorously into the canal during A/S Turner's stop at the
junction.


15. A/S Turner's final stop in the Jordan Valley was at the
Deir Alla Control Center. Engineers demonstrated their
ability to monitor and control water levels, flow rates and
salinity levels through the Valley's numerous dams, pumping
stations, gates and canals. JVA Advisor Suhail Wahsheh said
that the JVA's canal and delivery system have around 5%
water loss, a very low figure. With over 60% of the JVA's
water going for irrigation in the valley, efficient
irrigation is important, he said. He added that in his
view, perhaps 60% of the valley's farmers practice efficient
irrigation but that much outreach and education still needs
to be done even with that 60% and especially with the
laggard 40%.

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Leading the Way in Environment
-------------- --------------

16. At a May 31 dinner with A/S Turner, Aqaba Special
Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Environment Commissioner Dr.
Belal Bashir said that tourism and environment, especially
its prized coral reefs, are critical parts of Aqaba's
development plan. Bashir proudly pointed out that demand
for treated wastewater in Aqaba (from an USAID wastewater
treatment plant) already exceeds the supply. He was
interested in learning more from A/S Turner about
environmental enforcement at the state level in the United
States since Aqaba operates at the sub-national level.
Bashir matter of factly noted Aqaba's lengthy cooperation
with Israel on environmental issues, including, he noted
laughingly, his conniving with Israeli counterparts to force
actions in both countries.

NGO Brings Park, Drinking Water System to Rural Village
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17. A/S Turner's last stop in Jordan before driving across
the Sheikh Hussein Bridge into Israel on June 1 was the
Sheikh Hussein community, a small, poor village in the rural
northern Jordan Valley. Representatives of the NGO Friends
of the Earth Middle East (FOEME) showed Turner two of their
projects there, a rainwater harvesting system at the local
school that provides drinking water to school kids, and a 10-
hectare park. With the water distribution system operating
only one or two days per week, children were forced to carry
their drinking water from home and to urinate in the bushes
around the school. FOEME's water harvesting system, paid
for in part by the U.S.-supported "Good Water Neighbors"
program, saves rainwater that runs off from the roof into
big barrels that are used later to supply drinking water and
for toilets. FOEME cleverly wants to use a natural
depression at its nearby park to create a swimming pool, in
part because several children drown annually swimming in the
steep-sided King Abdullah canal.


18. Comment: Jordan isn't there yet on water resource
management, although there are bright spots. Agriculture
consumes over 60% of Jordan's water but contributes a meager
3% of Jordan's GDP. The stress of meeting this demand is
fraying Jordan's ecosystems.


19. A/S Turner has cleared this cable.

HENZEL