Duration: December 2010 – October 2015
Client: IRG
Donor: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Location: Jordan
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Project Description:
The Institutional Support and Strengthening Program (ISSP) funded by USAID/Jordan provided technical assistance and support to the Government of Jordan in water sector reform activities including a broad based restructuring of the sector institutions, legislative reviews of the legal framework for water management to enhance the sector’s performance, planning and management support, and development of management systems and business operations for groundwater management and protection.
The program addressed key institutional needs for sector institutions and capacity constraints in planning, policy, water supply, groundwater management, regulation, utility management, utility operations, irrigation and legal reform in order to meet the stated objectives of institutional development, institutional reform and restructuring and institutional strengthening.
Provided Services:
As the biggest subcontractor on the program, ECO Consult worked closely with IRG to carry out an institutional assessment of the sector that constituted a baseline for all project activities and guided the process of planning interventions throughout the program lifetime.
ECO Consult took a leading role in several areas of the program’s activities including but not limited to:
- Carrying out the socio-economic study for groundwater wells in Jordan. This was used to support decision-making in drafting policies, groundwater exploitation and the design of compliance and enforcement mechanisms to prevent the overexploitation of groundwater aquifers
- Carrying out the Water Valuation study as a tool to support decision making in economically feasible water allocation for irrigation and in crop selection across the Kingdom
- Strengthening Water Users Associations (WUAs) including the assessment of existing conditions, carrying out an in-depth survey and analysis of the WUAs and determine how to best strengthen and empower the WUAs to expand coverage in the Jordan Valley, improve irrigation efficiencies and increase benefits.
- Providing on-ground technical support to Tafilah Water Authority Administration that resulted in improving their service level and performance.
- Carrying out institutional assessments and water sector restructuring and reform plans.
- Assessment for Upgrading the Training Center of the Water Authority of Jordan and development of interim capacity building plan for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
- Preparing the water and wastewater investment plans for the sector and setting priorities for infrastructure investments across Jordan.
