The As-Samara plant will be built over the next three years and is considered "a cornerstone of the long-term cooperative partnership between the United States and Jordanian governments," the embassy said in a statement.

Upon completion it will treat up to 530,000 cubic meters (18.6 million cubic feet) of wastewater daily to serve two million residents of Amman and the northeastern suburb of Zarqa, it said.

"The treated water will be used for irrigation, thereby freeing up drinking water by decreasing the use of potable water for agricultural and industrial purposes," the embassy said.

The plant would be built, operated and managed under a 25-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement -- in the first such deal involving the private sector with a US-funded project.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) would contribute 78.1 million dollars towards the plant's construction.

Jordan's water and irrigation ministry would foot 13.69 million dollars of the bill and the remaining 77 million dollars will be raised by a consortium of private companies and banks, the statement said.

Jordan, a largely desert country, ranks among the world's 10 poorest in water resources.

It will be hosting at the end of May an international "water demand management conference" expected to attract 1,500 participants from 30 countries which officials here are touting as the first forum of its kind.

TERRA.WIRE