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Piped drinking water for refugees at Azraq camp in Jordan

Project completed
Water flowing out of a pipe with the Azraq refugee camp in the background.
The Humanitarian Aid of SDC has installed 35 kilometres of water pipes at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, bringing drinking water to thousands of families. © SDC

Jordan is currently hosting more than 600,000 refugees from Syria. The Azraq refugee camp is the second largest in Jordan. Together with UNICEF, the Humanitarian Aid of SDC is building a water distribution network in the camp. This will ensure that thousands of families have direct access to drinking water. 

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Jordan
Water
Drinking water and basic sanitation (WASH) (til 2016)
Water resources conservation
01.02.2016 - 30.06.2017
 CHF  2’210’000
Background

Government of Jordan has been hesitant to install permanent service infrastructure in the camps such as Water and Sanitation networks, due to the reluctance to accept that refugees will indeed stay in Jordan for years to come. Water and Sanitation services in the camps have therefore been provided so far by trucks, a solution which is costly and which results in water losses and risks for water quality. The position of the Government with reference to Water and Sanitation infrastructure changed in early 2015, which has allowed UNICEF to plan for a more permanent water and wastewater system in Azraq. A borehole was successfully drilled in August 2015, providing water with adequate quantity and quality, a precondition to allow the Swiss Cooperation Office in Amman to enter in discussions with UNICEF to shift from water trucking to a robust water supply network. A technical assessment conducted by an SHA WASH expert confirmed good hydrological characteristics of the exploit aquifer underlying Azraq camp.
Objectives

Improved health and wellbeing of Syrian refugees through the sustainable provision of safe and drinking water in sufficient quantities.
Target groups

The target group are Syrian refugees.

The capacity of the camp has been designed to accommodate 55’000 residents maximum.

In December 2015 there were 28’335 persons registered, out of whom 52% were female and 56% children. There were also 252 unaccompanied minors. The project aims at providing water for the full capacity of the camp

Staff working in the camps will likewise benefit from safe and drinking water. Technical staff will receive maintenance related capacity building.
Medium-term outcomes
  1. Resident population and staff in Azraq camp have access to safe and drinking water
  2. A sustainable operation and maintenance of the water system is in place
Results

Expected results:  

  • Sustainable water supply: the new borehole is fully equipped, the old borehole is either rehabilitated or a new one is drilled
  • The main distribution line is built between the boreholes and the distribution chambers
  • A secondary distribution network to the eight reservoirs is functional
  • A telemetric groundwater monitoring system is in place and used for decision making on further exploitations
  • Technicians operating the system are trained; Operational maintenance manual and procedures are elaborated and established.

 

 

 
Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Humanitarian aid
Project partners Contract partner
Private sector
  • Foreign private sector South/East
  • Schweizerisches Arbeiterhilfswerk


Other partners

The tertiary water supply network will be installed and operated by ACF, an UNICEF implementing partner
Coordination with other projects and actors

The overall responsibility of Azraq refugee camp lies with UNHCR. Within the camp, UNICEF has the lead on the WASH sector and will thus be the main partner of the SDC direct intervention. The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is part of the steering committee.
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    2’210’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    2’090’000 Total project since first phase Budget inclusive project partner CHF   1’770’000
Project phases

Phase 1 01.02.2016 - 30.06.2017   (Completed)

  • Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION
    WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION
    Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation
    Basic drinking water supply and basic sanitation
    Water resources conservation (including data collection)
    Cross-cutting topics The project takes account of gender equality as a cross-cutting theme.
    The project takes account of democratisation, good governance and human rights as cross-cutting themes.
    Aid Type SDC direct implementation
    Project number

    7F09497

The Azraq refugee camp in Jordan is currently home to around 35,000 refugees from Syria, making it the second largest in the country. The camp is situated on a desert plain 90 kilometres from the border with Syria and was opened by the Jordanian authorities in April 2014. It is operated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and can accommodate up to 55,000 people.

With scorching temperatures during the summer months, a continuous supply of drinking water is a priority for the people living there. Initially, 40 to 50 tankers would drive to a water source 50 kilometres away from the camp to deliver drinking water to the refugees. With each cubic metre of water transported costing CHF 4.30 however, this proved to be expensive. In August 2015, a new borehole only 2.5 kilometres from the camp was drilled, reducing the figure to CHF 1.50.  But with the camp’s ever-growing population, it became even more important to find a more efficient and less costly method to ensure access to drinking water for the refugees.

Drinking water right up to the front door

All of the UN’s water and sanitation activities in the Middle East are led by UNICEF, including the Azraq refugee camp. In autumn 2015, UNICEF signed an agreement with the Humanitarian Aid of SDC which had responded to its appeal to create a water distribution network within the camp. Members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit’s Water and Environmental Sanitation expert group were deployed to implement the project. One of the specialists was also seconded to UNICEF.

A second borehole right next to the camp was drilled in order to diversify the sources of water and reduce dependency on any one well which, if contaminated, would have deprived the camp’s entire population of drinking water with disastrous consequences. Using the 35 kilometres of water pipes and 214 taps being stored on site, these water sources were then connected to the camp. Local technicians were also given training to help keep the system in good working order. 

Savings help invest in training

When the project was completed in May 2017, the water tankers had been replaced by a system capable of providing the refugees with a continuous supply of drinking water. Because the tankers are no longer needed, CHF 1 million will be saved each year on transport costs and will be invested in training programmes for the refugees.

On 19 May 2017, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter attended the inauguration ceremony at the camp, 18 months after his first visit.  The entire project has now been handed over to UNICEF and the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

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Last update 07.05.2020