KfW: water for Jordan and Syrian refugees

• EUR 30 million to improve water supply and waste water disposal

KfW Development Bank has signed a loan agreement with a volume of EUR 30 million for the third phase of the water resource management programme on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The funds of these programmes are being used to improve Jordan's water supply, waste water disposal and water transport systems. Measures for recycling water in irrigation farming are also being financed.

Jordan, a country where water is scarce, has been home to Syrian refugees for almost four years. The number of refugees is currently estimated at up to one and a half million – in a country of 6.5 million people. One in five refugees live in camps, but most of them have been found accommodation in towns and villages. The total volume of water consumed in Jordan has risen sharply as a result.

"KfW's support is playing a pivotal role in mitigating the increasingly critical water problems in Jordan. Syrian refugees and the communities that have taken them in are the main beneficiaries of the improved access to water," said Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, member of KfW Group's Executive Board.

The "water stress" faced by Syrian refugees and the Jordanian people has risen significantly since the public water utilities in many areas have reduced the frequency of their water deliveries from once a week to once every two weeks. The situation is further exacerbated by the inadequate disposal of waste water.

KfW Development Bank implements Financial Cooperation (FC) with developing countries on behalf of the German Federal Government. Projects with a total volume of EUR 660 million (including EUR 365 million of KfW funds at reduced interest rates) are currently being implemented in Jordan with the aim of improving the water supply and sanitation, improving energy efficiency, improving access to primary education and supplying Syrian refugees.

Further information on KfW Development Bank is available at: www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.