Currently, 500,000 people live on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley. Their domestic wastewater is usually collected in cesspits next to their homes and, ideally, pumped and removed by tank trucks and subsequently transported to one of the two wastewater treatment plants in North Shuna or Tal-Al-Mantah. However, the cesspits keep overflowing time and again, and domestic and industrial water is disposed of illegally as there is often no other alternative. Groundwater and surface water are heavily contaminated, creating serious health risks for humans and the environment.

The precarious water situation in the Jordan Valley can be alleviated significantly when sufficient quantities of purified wastewater are available for the irrigation of agricultural land. Therefore, a three-year project (2018-21) was developed by the Global Nature Fund (GNF) in collaboration with its local partner EcoPeace and implemented with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and from private sector sponsors, including the Wilo-Foundation.

The aim of the project was to stabilise the fluctuating treatment capacity of the Tal-Al-Mantah plant. To that end, the wastewater treatment plant was equipped with a separate photovoltaic system, now covering more than 90 per cent of the plant’s energy needs. By generating power using its own photovoltaic system, the plant has become independent from the expensive national energy system where energy supply is still unreliable. Savings in electricity costs can be used to finance spare parts and repairs and the preliminary chemical testing of wastewater.

The Tal-Al-Mantah wastewater treatment plant is the first solar-powered treatment plant in the region and thus constitutes a flagship project and a milestone both for the local population and for the responsible stakeholders and decision-makers of local and regional water authorities. The 130,000 people living in the catchment area of the sewage plant now benefit from the greatly improved quality of groundwater and surface water.

In addition, constructed wetlands were installed in the nearby visitor centre of the Sharhabil Bin Hassneh (SHE) EcoPark to raise awareness of wastewater issues among the many people who visit the park and present this innovative, low-cost solution for wastewater treatment. Since its inception in 2004, the ecological park concept has enabled park visitors to experience the Jordan Valley and its natural habitat.