Impact of Gulf War on Long-Term Physical Development Plan for Jordan by Fairouz M. Masoud, Director of Regional Planning, Municipality of Greater Amman, Jordan. | Abstract Of The Paper & The Profile of The Speaker | Speaker Index | Paper Title Index | Natural And Physical Settings For Jordan Location: Jordan is located in the heart of Middle East and is the meeting point of 3 continents; Asia, Mrica and Europe . It covers an area of approximately 89000 square Km. Jordan is bordered on the north by Syria, on the east by Iraq and Saudi Arabia, on the south by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf of Aqaba and the West Bank Palestinian home land and Israel on the west . Physical Features: The physical features of Jordan are divided into three distinct areas from west to east: The Rif Valley , the Highland Plateau and the Desert. The Highland Plateau constitutes the central urban axis running from Irbid in the north to Aqaba to the south and is divided into four areas by three deep gorges (Wadis) : Wadi Zarqa forms the boundary between the northern and central areas, Wadi Mujib forms the boundary between the central and upper south areas and Wadi Hasa forms the boundary between the upper south and lower south. Climate: The climate is dominated by Mediterranean and Arid Tropical conditions - four climate types have bean identified according to the temperatures and rainfall characteristics : Mediterranean, Iran - Turanian, Saharo - Arabian, and Sudanian. Land Use: In order to facilitate the Comprehensive Development Plane in Jordan, the country has been divided into three planning regions: 1- Northern Region: The northern region consists of four governorates, Irbid, Al Mafraq ,Ajlun and Jerash , covering the northern rift valley, the highland plateau and the desert (Albadia). It covers an area of( 28753 ) Km2 which is 32.4% of Jordan. It has a population of (1,148,286 ) which represents 28% of the national total. The region has relatively more rain fall than other regions in Jordan and is situated closer to water resources of Yarmouk and Jordan river . The region is the northern gateway of the country sharing border with Syria to north and Israel to the west and Iraqe to the east . The most important cities in the region is Irbid - Ramtha - Jerash - Ajlune Mafraq. 2- Middle Region: The middle region consists of four governorates: Arnman Governorate , Balqa Governorate, Zarqa Governorate and Madaba Governorate. The population is 2.6 Million (1994 ) which represents almost 63% of the national total . It covers an area of 15000sq.Km which represents 16% of Jordan's area. The Middle Region is the gateway of Jordan to West Bank and Israel to the west and Saudi Arabia to the east . It covers a part of eastern areas of the country, most of which is desert . The capital of the region and Jordan is Amman city, it has a population of 1.500, million which represents 62% of the region's total and 34% of the nation's total. The area of Amman is 528 Km2 . Adminstrative area of Amman governorate covers the highland plateau and a big part of the desert. Amman was inhabited in the early Brons Age. The bible mentions Rabba of Ammoon as the capital of the Ammonites in about 1200 B.C under Roman rule , Amman ( then Philadelphia) became the decapolis cities with Jerash and Irbid. Amman today is a modern city spread across seven steep hills . It is a national center for government, administration , business and culture and a regional center of some of the international organizations. Amman is a gateway city for international air traffic. It is connected with a good net work of high ways which greatly facilitate travel to the surrounding regions. 3- Southern region: The southern region consists of four governorates : Karak, Tafila, Ma' an and Aqaba . The area covers (45493 ) sq.km which represents more than half of the national terriotry, ( 51,3% ) of which is desert belt covers most of the region which is sparsely populated with 392620 or about 9% of the national total . The region is the southern air, land and sea gateways. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Israel to the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the south. The region has some of the best tourism resources in the kingdom (Petra located in the centre of the region ) and is connected to the other complimentary resources ( the Crusadar' s castles in Karak and Shawbak, the beach resort in Aqaba and grand natural scenery of Wadi Ram and Wadi Mujib). Economy: 1. Overview After foundation of Jordan in 1946 as a sovereign state, its particular geopolitical position did not allow it to enjoy the stability necessary for sustained economic growth . A dramatic change came after the " oil shock"of 1973. A substantial increase in financial assistance to Jordan by oil-rich Arab states and remittances sent home by Jordanians abroad provided a surplus of funds available for consumption and investment. Jordan's infrastructure was upgraded and export industries to regional market were created. Jordan experienced a prolonged economic boom berween 1973 and 1984. The average GDP growth rate for the period 1973- 1979 was 11.1% and that for the period 1980-1985 was 9.9%.The boom ended by mid-1980s as a result of declining oil prices and subsequent regional recession . The Government began to suffer cash-flow problems in the face of dwindling Arab assistance and started to borrow heavily.By the end of 1988, the problem turned into a crisis.With assistance from IMF the government set out on a five-year restructure readjustment program with vigour. By 1994 targets of the program seemed to have been mostly met and Jordan's economy was on a growth path again .The average GDP growth rate for the period 1985-1989 was -1.2% and that for the period 1990-1994 was 7.2%. The trend of GDP growth in recent years is shown in Table 1. The mini-boom in 1992 with a GDP growth rate of 16.1% was a result of the influx of some 300,000 Jordanians returning from Kuwait because of the Gulf war. These returnees brought back funds for investment resulting in a construction boom. This situation was obviously a one- time phenomenon; the long term effect was the loss of alarge amount of external remittance to Jordan. In 1993 and 1994 the growth rate settled down to a more normal 5.8% and 5.7% respectively. Table1 GDP Growth in Recent Years in Jordan Total (JD m) 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 At current prices 2,668.3 2,855.1 3,493.0 3,882.5 4,266.2 At constant (1990) prices 2,668.3 2,717.0 3,153.7 3,335.4 3,525.4 Real Changes(%) 1.0 1.8 16.1 5.8 5.7 Per head (JD) At current prices 626.4 643.0 748.0 785.9 831.6 At constant (1990) prices 626.4 611.9 675.3 675.2 687.2 Real change (%) -2.1 -2.3 10.4 0.0 1.8 Source: IMF, International Financial Statistics The current Plan for Economic and Social Development (1993-1997) envisages a steady GDP growth of 6% p.a. The share of the manufacturing sector has increased only slightly over the years, reflecting the limited success of the government's effort toward an economy that is less dependent on external funding. The trend seems to be accelerating. The sector of wholesale, retail trade, restaurants & hotels (which includes the bulk of the tourism sector) has shown a modest growth in recent years. The largest increase came from the government services sector, the growth of which has been oniy slightly less than overall GDP growth. This growth of government services has been largely made possible by external sources, such as foreign grants and loans. As the policies of privatization and deregulation take hold in the economy, the importance of the government sector is likely to decrease in the coming years . The economy of the nation has been successfully stabilized and redirected. However, population growth and its distribution is an important issue. In 1994, the population of Jordan excluding the west Bank was estimated at 4,090,100, almost twice as large as the population in 1979. The population growth rate in 1993 of 3.5% is among the highest in the world. In addition, as a result of the Gulf crisis in 1990-1991, estimated 300,000 Jordanian citizens returned to Jordan from Kuwait. Population growth has taken place disproportionately in and around the capital city of Amman . The greater Amman area, including the surrounding towns, now contains almost half the total national population . Population and Employment 1- Population According to the 1994 population census the national population of Jordan is 4,096,100. Table 2 shows the distribution of the population by governorate where the 12 governorates are grouped into the 3 geographical regions used in the current 5-year National Development Plan. The central region, with Amman as its center contains the majority of the population (62.8%), the northern region (27.7%) and the southern region least (9.5%). According to the 1994 population census, the natural population growth rate is reported as 3.4%. In the past 12 years from 1979 to 1991, the underlying population growth rate decreased gradually from 3.3 % to 2.8 % superimposed on this has the return of large numbers of Jordanians working in the Gulf countries which resulted in a 5.3 % combined growth rate for 1991. However, the ongoing Peace Process and the resulting socio cconomic and political stability, may result in substantial changes in both the total population profile. The Jordanian population comprises an aging and increasingly urbanized population. In the period 1979 - 1991, the percentage share of 15-64 years old rase from 46% to 54% and those under 15 years old decreased from 52% to 43%. Urban dwellers increased from 60% to 78% of the population as a result of internal migration from rural areas to the cities, and the forced migration from overseas back to the major cities. POPULATION DENSITY ACCORDING TO GOVERNORATES & REGIONS GOVERNORATE DENSITY Km.Sq POPULATION AREA Km.Sq POPULATION % AREA % AMMAN 192.0 1576238 8231 38.1 4.20 ZARQA 157.0 639469 4080 15.4 4.60 BALQA 257.0 276082 1076 6.7 1.20 MADABA 53.0 107321 2008 2.6 2.20 MIDDLE REGION 168.8 2595110 15395 62.8 17.20 IRBID 464.0 751634 1621 18.2 1.80 MAFRAQ 7.0 178914 26435 4.3 29.55 AJLUN 229.0 94548 412 2.3 0.50 JARASH 306.0 123190 402 3.0 0.45 NORTHERN REGION 39.8 1148286 28870 27.7 32.30 KARAK 53.0 169770 3217 4.1 3.60 TAFELA 30.0 62783 2114 1.5 2.40 MA'AN 2.0 79670 33163 1.9 37.10 AQABA 12.0 79839 6583 1.9 7.40 SOUTHERN REGION 8.7 392062 45077 9.5 50.50 JORDAN 46.0 4139458 89342 100.0 100.00 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS SURVEYING Table. 2 population of Jordan by Governorate Region Governorate Population Northern Irbid Jerash Ajlun Mafraq 746,000 123,000 94,000 171,000 Sub total 1,134,000 27.7% Central Amman Zarqa Balqa Madaba 1,568,000 624,000 274,000 106,000 Sub total 2,572,000 62.8% Southern Karak Tafila Maan Aqaba 170,000 61,000 79,000 80,000 Sub total 390,000 9.5% Total 4,096,000 100.0% source: census December, 1994 (2) Employment The size of Jordan labour force increased from 444,000 workers in 1979 to 920,000 workers in 1991 (Plan for Economic and Social Development 1993 - 1997 ) . The number of those entering the labour market increased from 25,000 per year in the 1980s to 46,000 in the 1990s representing an annual growth rate of approximately 6.3% The rate of increase is greater than that of total population because of the changes in age structure. The rate of economic participation was 41.3%, in 1991; only 22% of Jordan's population formed part of the labour force. women's participation was low at 14%. The labour force is educated and skilled with almost universal primary education. 34% of men and 28% of women complete secondary school and 17% of men and 13% of women comeplete post- secondary education. Jordan is one of the few countries in the world that is both a major exporter and importer of labour. About one- third of the labour force is employed outside Jordan mainly as skilled workers. On other hand about 11% of the domestic labor are foreign guest workers with work permits mostly from Egypt and Syria. They are unskilled or semi - skilled and mainly employed in agriculture (40%), in social services (26%) and construction ( 9%). There is a net shortage of skilled labour. Table 3. Distribution of the Jordanian Labour Force by Educational Status, 1991 Educational Status Men(%) Women(%) Unclassified Illiterate Literate Elementary Preparatory Vocational Training Secondary College Diploma University Higher Education 0.1 6.8 11.4 17.8 28.1 1.7 17.6 7.6 7.8 1.1 0.2 22.0 10.1 15.3 24.7 0.4 14.9 9.1 3.1 0.2 Total 100% 100% Source : Department of Statistics, 1991. Table .4 Distrbution of Jordanian Labour Force by Primary Occupation, 1991 Primary occupation Percent Manager Specialist Technician Clerical Skilled service workers Skilled agricultural workers Skilled retail workers Machine operators Unskilled Unclassified 2.2 42.2 12.2 14.6 8.5 4.0 6.5 0.5 8.1 1.2 Total 100% source: Department of Statistics, 1991 The number of employed persons increased from 406, 000 in 1979 to 763,000 in 1991, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 5.3% . However the unemployment rate increased by a few points about 17% in 1991 because of the negative impacts of the Gulf War on the Jordan economy, and the increase in the labour force. The Gulf War resulted in a sharp decline in outward migration to the Gulf States and increase in Jordanian workers returning. There was a mismatch between the skills and the requirements of the local labour market . The unskilled foreign guest workers could not be replaced by the returning, unemployed skilled Jordanian. In order to decrease unemployment, additional jobs need to be created for unskilled workers and skilled workers. As shown in Table 5. almost half of Jordanian workers are employed in the govemment sector. The salary levels within the public sector effectively establish salary levels in the private sector and have a significant effect on the economy. Table 5. Employment Structure by Industrial Activities Activity 1990 % 1991 % 1992 % Agriculture 38,266 7.3 40.848 7.4 44,400 7.4 Mining/ Manufacturing 53,468 10.2 56.856 10.3 61,900 10.3 Utilities 6,815 1.3 7,176 1.3 6,600 1.1 Construction 51,895 9.9 54,096 9.8 60,000 10.0 Commerce 52,944 10.1 56,856 10.3 63,000 10.5 Transport/ Telecom 44,557 8.5 48,576 8.8 52,200 9.7 Banking/ Insurance 16,774 3.2 17,664 3.2 19,800 3.3 Public/ Services 259,978 49.5 269,928 48.9 292,200 48.7 Total 524,697 100% 552,000 100% 600,000 100% Source : Department of Statistics Investment Environment Improving the investment environment in Jordan has been one of the major goats of economic restructuring pursued by the Government since the financial crisis of the late 1 980s. Much has been done but still many areas remain to be improved . The Plan for Economic and Social Development 1993-1997 cities a 12-point policy to provide a suitable environment conducive to increasing domestic production and exports and to rationalizing imports . In order to attract foreign investments, various regulatory improvements have been made in recent years. Foreign firms in general are allowed to establish manufacturing enterprises on a 100 ownership basis. Greater incentives are offered to those who invest in areas away from the greater Amman area, especially in the south. Foreign firms are now allowed to freely transfer capital and profit. The Government has hosted a high-profile economic conference in Amman (October 29-31, 1995 ) . It is hoped that the gathering of a large number of businessmen and policy-makers in the region and beyond will produce concrete investment schemes and projects and that these wilt be viewed as the real fruits of the Peace Process and bring tangible, direct benefits to the Jordanian economy . Transport Existing Situation and Issues   Overview Main Organizations Related to Transport The main organizations involved in the transport sector in Jordan are detailed in Table 6. According to a new ordinance, MoPW is the only ministry to supervise transport activities. It has responsibility for the registration of companies and the approval of routes, operation schedules and tariffs. Overall problems and lssues of Transpot At present neither the passenger nor the cargo land transoprt system as well as the responsibility for their supervision is dispersed among a number of government ministries . A transport sector policy and institutional study was completed, as a part of the Third Transport project of the World Bank. One of the objectives of the study was to establish cost recovery mechanism for roads. According to the study a Higher Transport Council was established to supersede the number of authorities. The Ministry of Transport is conducting "Studies on Trade and Transport Facilitation and public Transport" which include a study of tourist buses. Considering the opportunities presented by the current peace initiative and the potential for an increase in international tourism in Jordan, a national tourist transport strategy is urgently required. Table 6.Institutional Distribution of the Main Transport Functions Function Overall policies, plans and coordination including institutional, organizational and financial aspects. - Ministry of Planning - Ministry of Transport - Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (regarding tourist transport only) - Ministry of Interior Road Construction and maintenance - Ministry of Public Works and Housing - Greater Amman Municipality, Aqaba Region Authority, Jordan Valley Authority and Municipalities (within their jurisdictions except national level links) Land transport - Ministry of Transport (fixing tariff, ect) - Jordan Express Tourist Transport Co. (JETT) Public Transport Corporation (public bus company covering Amman and the suburbs) - Private companies (taxis, service taxis, city busses and inter-city buses, rent-a-car) - Jordan/Iraq Land Transport Company (cargotransport) - Ministry of Interior and Traffic Committees (licensing operators, fixing routes, etc..) Traffic management - Traffic Department (implementation of traffic management) - Traffic Committees (permission for public transport routes) - Civil Defense Department (traffic accidents) -Registration Department (registration of vehicles, drivers, etc) Bus and taxi terminals in Amman (Raghadan, Abdali and south Amman Terminal) - Greater Amman Municipality Railways - Hijaz Railway Corporation - Aqaba Railway Corporation Aqaba port and maritime transport - Aqaba port Corporation - Arab Bridge Maritime Co. (ferry service) Civil aviation - Civil Aviation Authority (airports) - Royal Jordanian Airlines Road Network (1) Classification Roads in Jordan The various categomries of roads are described in Table 7. Table . 7 Classification Roads in Jordan Type of Road Description Primary Roads consists of 2 or more lanes connecting: - the capital Amman with Governorate centers - Governorate centers - Jordan with neighbouring countries - 2 primary roads through Governorate centers Secondary Roads consists of 2 lanes connecting: - primary roads through cities other than Muhafada centers - to serve a group of villages Village Roads consists of 2 lane road branches from primary or secondary roads and serves a village or a small community. Agricultural Roads dirt or paved roads serving farms City Roads serving intra-city traffic (2) Traffic Volume Traffic counting surveys conducted in 1993 by the Highway Studies Department of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing covered 52 stations checking 82 cross-sections. The survey results are for week days and do not include weekend traffic. The findings of the survey are as follows:- - the volume of traffic was highest in Greater Amman and on the route to Irbid with 10,000 or more daily vehicles at major sections. In the other areas, most roads have less than 5,000 vehicles per day; - most of the roads surveyed have sufficient capacity for the existing traffic unless there are exceptional circumstances such as deteriorating road surface, lack of road facilities and poor traffic management. Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Existing Situation and Issues General Situation In Jordan, there are three sources of water supply : surface water, groundwater, and treated water from waste water treatment plants. As for the sewerage, although fourteen conventional treatment plants exist in Jordan, some of their capacity and effluent water quality are insufficient. In the future, recycled water from sewerage plants should be reused for the irrigation, industry and toilet flushing, making more water available . As fomr the drainage, aithomugh heavy rain is a rare occurrence, some streets are flomomded omnce omr twice a year in majomr cities such as Amman, Salt and Karak. Since these municipalities are prepared tom impromve drainage systems, drainage is nom seriomus promblem fomr tomurism deveiompment in cities. Homwever, at several tourist sites, notably Petra, drainage is a seriomus problem that requires corrective actions. The following account has been derived primarily for the Report " Water Resources of Jordan, Presents Status and Future Potentials, 1993" (1) Surface Water Jordan does not possess rivers as such, except for the Jordan River which prior to the development of significant abstractions used to discharge around 1,400 million cubic meters per year (MCM / year) into the Dead Sea . Other surface water resources in Jordan include the Yarmouk and Zarqa rivers, the major Wadis of Karak, Mujib, Hasa, Yabis and El-Arab, and the small, flood flow wadis in different parts of the country. The Jordan River The surface catchment area of the Jordan river is 18,194 square km,of which 2,833 square km is upstream from Lake Tiberias. The eastern catchment area, downstream of Tiberias, measures 13,027 square km, and the western 2,344 square km. The total discharge of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea, prior to the implementation of different water projects in Jordan, Syria and Israel, was 1,370 MCM I year, which was mostly as irrigation return flow, intercatchment run off or saline spring discharges. The discharge from the Yarmouk River into the Jordan River is 160-170 MCM / year from Syria extract, 100-110 MCM/year from Jordan and 100 MCM /year from Israel . Yarmouk River The total catchinent area of the river measures 5,679 square km of which 1,160 square km lie within Jordan upstream of Adasiya and the rest within Syria and in the Jordan River area downstream of Adasiya. The average annual rainfall over the catchment area is about 400 mm/year. The river flow during the period 1950 to 1976 averaged 400 MCM / year. Recent measurement of flows and estimates of extraction indicate an average total discharge of around 360 MCM/year . The water quality of Yarmouk River reflects the agricultural land use within the catchment area. Pollution can be measured in the discharged water especially during low flows Zarqa River The Zarqa River is the second largest in Jordan; it has the largest catchment area ( 4,025 square km ) and a mean annual discharge (1950 tom 1976), 65 MCM / year . The catchinent receives an average annual rainfall of 240 mm. After 1976, the natural system of the river was changed by a range of developments including the construction of the King Talal Dam on the Zara River ( 1977 ) , the importing of water into the catchinent area for domestic and industrial uses and the discharging of their effluents into the Zarqa River System . At present, the domestic and industrial waste water contributions to the inflows of the river are estimated at 50% of its discharge. The water quality of the river changes dramatically between summer and winter. In winter, flood water constitutes most of the river discharge, and although it contains domestic refuse and waste, the quality remains acceptable for most uses . In summer the pollution is undiluted and water quality is unacceptable even for irrigation. Wadis Within the Jordan River catchinent area there are the wadis of El-Arab, Zigrab, Shueib and Kafrain. Average rainfall in these areas ranges from 350 to 550 mm; the annual inflow to the Jordan River ranges from approximately 2.0MCM/year to 5.5 MCM / year. (2) Ground water Groundwater can be of recent or ancient origin. A vital issue is the sustainability and continual yield of individual sources. The groundwater divides have been identified as either aquifer limits or important and relevant geomorphologic or geologic structures . Extracted amounts of groundwater during 1993 varied from 100 MCM for the Dead Sea basin to the Sarhan basin generating just under 1 MCM; the Dissi, Yarmomuk and Azraq basins fell in the 50-67 MCM range, while the remainder fell below this level. About seventy percent of the water serves agricultural purposes . (3) Treated Water Waste water is gradually increasing because of the increase in population and water consumption . However, the treated water quantity from waste water is small due to the absence of facilities. The amount of treated water is 49 MCM, which corresponds to about 24% of the 208 MCM of water consumed in Jordan in 1992. Institutional Setting (1) General The situation of water scarcity in Jordan is critical as shown in the following sections. The need for water will rapidly increase in the near future because of the following factors: - high rate of increase in population; - the rise in water consumption per capita; and - the growing demand for water to meet the needs of economic growth. Additional water may be made available from existing sources through improved water resource management. This requires a complete restructuring of the institutional and legal framework . (2) Institutions Three organizations responsible for water utilization and waste water management are as follows: (a) The Ministry of Water and Irrigation (b) The water Avthority (WAJ) (c) The Jordan Valley authority ( WA) Table 8 Distribution of water consumption in 1992 Source (MCM)/year Irrigation Water supply Industry Total Renewable Ground Water 306 158 36 500 Treated water 40 0 0 40 Surface water 329 31 0 360 Total 675 (75%) 189 (21%) 36 (4%) 900 (100%) Source : Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), 1992 The total quantity water consumed for all purposes in 1992 reached 900 MCM, 500 MCM of which came from groundwater sources,and 360 MCM from surface water; treated water was estimated at 40 MCM in 1992, 90% of which flows from the Khirbet Samra treatment plant. Total discharge for all treatment plants is estimated to reach 60 MCM annually by 1995. an estimated 97% of the population is served by water supply networks, and 54% of the total population is served by trunk sewerage systems . Water is primarily used for irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes as detailed below . Irrigation : This includes all water used for irrigating plants (trees, vegetables, crops, forage and cattle watering) . The quantity of water used for irrigation purposes from all water sources was estimated at 675 MCM in 1992 of which 306 MCM came from groundwater and 329 MCM from surface water sources. Most of the surface water used for irrigation is consumed in the north and central Ghor areas . Most of the groundwater use is consumed in desert areas. Domestic supply and industrial uses : This represents all water used in houses, gardens and all types of industries. Quantities of water used for this purpose were estimated at 225 MCM in 1992, 194 MCM of which came from groundwater and 3 1MCM fromm springs. Momst omf this water is comnsumed in the centers of pompulation, i.e., Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Karak and Aqaba, where per capita consumptiomn is also higher than in the momre rural areas. Present Situation (1) Water Supply There are twom seasons in Jordan : a dry hot summer season when there is almost no rain and a wet coomi winter season when the majority of the rainfall occurs. The amount of rainfall is lomw with a maximum of 400 to 500 mm annually in the northern highland, 300 mm in Amman, 50 to 200 mm in the south and less than 100 mm in the desert to the east . The current water supply situation in Jordan is very serious because of the imbalance between water demand and supply. The supply is inadequate because of insufficient rainfall, minimum recharging of groundwater and over abstractiomn . Demand is satisfied only up tom the supply limit. The imbalance has been worsened by the increase in population . The various sources of water resources and the consumption is shown below. Table 9. Water Resources and Consumption is 1992 Resource (MCM / year) Consumption (MCM / year) Ground water Surface water Treated water 500 360 40 Irrigation Domestic water Industry 675 189 36 Total 900 900 Source : Water Authority of Jordan ( WAJ), 1992 (2) Sewerage The sewerage system is thought to serve approximately 54% of the population, which is comparable to other developing countries. The importance of an adequate sewerage system is not only for human health but in Jordan to protect ground water from contamination. In the ten tourism areas, Petra ( Wadi Musa) and Wadi Ram have no conventional waste water treatment plant . There are 14 waste water treatment plants in Jordan . The oldest one commenced operations in 1981, the remainder have been constructed since 1987. The effluent in these plants is low compared with design loads. The reason seems to be low per capita water supply quantity . Treatment Capacity The existing treatment capacity is insufficient tom meet demand. The projected shortfall in capacity versus generation are significant. As would be expected the shortfalls are greatest in the main centers of population especially Amman, which suffered the brunt of the unplanned development to accommodate the rapid influx of refugees . It will require considerable capital investment even to keep pace with the growth in the indigenous population. At this study, the Study Team expects and assumed that treatment ability for the years 2000 and 2010 are 60% and 70% respectively, applying the advanced hightech treatment method. Also, of the treated water should be reused for irrigation, industry and toilet flushing water, etc. General Framework of the Middle Region Planning Project The Middle region is comnsidered as the central develompment regiomn in the kingdomm where omver two third omf the pompulatiomn are comnsentrated in this part omf the country besides jomb omppomrtunities and wide variety omf ecomnommic activities. This regiomn has witnessed great development in ecomnommic , Somcial and settlements activities over the past decades, because of the local and surrounding regional changes especially the migration of people resulted from the occupation of West Bank in 1967, Gulf War and the migration of people from rural to urban areas. These events led to a great increase in demand for services, expenditure on infrastructure and the zoned & build land on behalf of agricultural land . The role of this distinguished central development region affects directly the role of municipalities in providing the required development services to serve the local communities. This role affects geographically in three levels : FIRST: The local level: This phase covers what this region presents in municipal services and what municipalities administrate & plan on land use and real estates. SECOND: The Regional level: This phase covers the relationship and reaction areas between the population clusters in the region and the geographic areas surrounding its administrative borders. THIRD: The national level: This phase covers the role played in this region to serve the capital of the kingdom and all other governorates with all the National Institutions responsible for national dimensioned services. The Borders of the Middle Region Study: The borders of the study area of this region are the official administrative borders that are considered by governmental institutions as statistical basis for data collection . Also these borders coincide with the Development Middle Region that Ministry of Planning approves to integrate with the kingdom's northern & southern regions. Area and population of Middle Region The area of this region is almost 19300 sq. km. representing 20.6% of the total area of the kingdom . In 1994 the population was about 2.6 millions representing 62.1% of the total pompuiatiomn of the kingdom. It's Population density was about 133 person/sq. km. increasing at the west part omf the region because of the natural and climatic features of the population settlements, and decreases at the eastern parts of the region with the desert features. The Middle Region contains 380 population clusters in its borders. The strategic significance of the Middle Region The middle Region has a very significant strategic role,which makes this study essential . In addition to the concentration of the majority of population and its geographic and strategic setting, it is featured with major natural, human and economic characters making it the back-bone of the national economy, as it contains the following: 1. The capital of Jordan and the central government institutions . 2. Many of the main cities, especially the administrative centers of four governorates . 3. Many water resources and some major dams. 4. Considerable agricultural areas (non-irrigated & irrigated). 5. Higherjomb opportunities . 6. The major elements of highways railways and main airports . 7. Mineral resources. 8. Major industries. 9. Major service centers (health, education etc. ) 10. Active urban axes of regional, notional and international roles. 11. Natural and rehabilitated forests. Justification of the study The following planning constraints and its present implications on the region justifies the necessity of this regional study: 1) The rapid increase of population and their concentration in the centers of the urban region and the resultant qualitative and quantitative strains on basic demand for social, economic and municipal services. 2) Random expansion of human settlements especially in residential and industrial land- uses without pre - planning. 3) Expansion in land zoning at the expense of agricultural land. 4) Permission of construction outside the zoned lands apart from basic planning principles. 5) Increased and rapid pressure on road networks and public transport means. 6) The growing demand of low-cost housing. 7) Encromachinents on gomvernmental land. 8) The incomnsistency omf comprehensive planning on clear regional planning basis within a consistent national and administrative strategy. 9) The absence of Comprehensive Development Planning dealing with each region as a comprehensive planning unit. 10) Overlapping of land use between Greater Amman Municipality, the municipalities and the surrounding population clusters due to the absence of proper coordination and different authorities interested with issuing and executing planning decisions in the Region. 11) Negligence of previous planning studies for this Region. Proposed solutions and Recommendations for the study of Middle Region: - Distribution of ecoommic growth poles for the region and their inter - relations. - Proposed regional plans . - Economic activities distribution and estimation of number of workers till the gear 2020. - The administrative relation within the proposed net of settlements. - The general structure for the net of settlements . - The proposed functional distribution for the settlements . - Population distribution over the proposed settlements . - The theoritical construction for the proposed roads net . - The proposed roads net . - Excution stages of the middle region land use plans consist of 4 stages. Summary of the General Look for the Study Results: Through studying implementation of all natural , social , economic and environmental aspects in the region and studying the scientific theories and practical experiments in the fields of Development & Regional planning and through careful study to the region's future form after exploiting all the available resources in the best manner, the concept of the Middle Region Regional Planning depends on creating several major and ancillary poles that encourage economic activities and better services functioning in complete harmony to acheive the most exploitation of resources and serving these poles by an effective net of roads. The following points will be considered in planning the region: a. Recomnstruction omf the region' 5 planing promcess tom compe with its settlements fast requirements and to commprehensively comomrdinate between shomrt-run executive plans & long run develompment strategies with the ecomnommic & social develompment 5-years plans . b. Making basic amendments in the structure omf the planning promcesses som that continuomus reaction between different levels of planning is achieved, that is comprehensiveness in planning . c. Creating organically connected net of settlements and economicaly & functionally balanced served by fast & powerful net of roads. d. Exploiting agricultural lands in the best possible manner, improving methods of agriculture , building an industrial base dependent on local production & natural resourses and determining proper sites for industry fully served. e. Considering the region as a touristic pole depending on archaeological sites, natural sites and available touristic services . Considering tourism as a high valued investment with little fixed costs and could be reliable in the beginings of the development process . f. The topic of self - sufficiency in the region s services study will be considered . g. Solving environmental pollution problems by redistributing and treating pollution sources . In general, Middle Region Planning Project Study seeks to benefit from the attainable potentials in the region in the best possible manner and to create a human depth in the eastern and southern part of the region and to connect these parts with the region's remaining parts and with other regions . Regional Planning Project of the Middle Region Middle Region Planning Information System - MRPIS - OBJECTIVES Middte Region Planning Information System witt be designed and implemented in parallel with all activities carried-out during the preparation of the Middle Region Master Plan . The system is to integrate alt information related to planning. It is intended as an aid in the development of the master plan rather than a municipal information system . No plot-level information will be provided, but the system could be considered as a basis for further development into a municipal information system . Therefor the objectives of the system are:- 1 - Assistance in the preparation of the master plan for the Middle Region 2- Preparation of base maps for master plan 3- Production of thematic maps 4- Execution of special data analysis tasks 5- Investigation of implementation impacts and possibilities of the master plan 6- Detailed analysis of certain locations within the project area FUNCTIONS The system should be able to support the following functions 1 - The system should be able to capture data by four main methods: * digitizing existing paper maps * scanning existing paper maps * converting existing digital maps from other sources * direct data input from the station 2- The system should store and process both graphical and attribute data and should be able to access data in systems already running in Greater Amman Municipality. 3- The system should store data in one referencing grid system. 4- The system should be able to store attribute data in both English and Arabic. 5- A unified storage scale (unit) should be decided that is suitable for all maps stored within the system and that produces acceptable accuracy for the objectives of the system . 6- The level of detail within all layers of the system should be decided. 7- The system should be designed in a way that permits increasing the level of details in the future and extending the system from a planning information system to a municipal information system . 8- The system should be able to plot maps on any desired scale including any layers needed and any data within layers. 9- The system shoutd be abte to produce simpte or comptex queries on the screen. 10- The system shoutd be able to produce printed reports including calculations on graphical and attribute data. 11 - The system should provide for data exchange with other systems in other organizations. 12- The system should be designed in accordance with Greater Amman Municipality requirements , so that it can be used by relevant departments in the Municupality after the conclusion of the project. DATA SOURCES 1 - Topographic digital maps from the royal geographic center including: * existing road network * existing built-up area * existing tanduse * contours * spot hieghts * land marks 2- Zoning maps from municipalities within the project area including * approved road network * approved landuse 3- Water network maps from Water Authority 4- Drainage and sewer network maps from Water Authority 5- Power and electricity tines maps from Electricity Authority 6- Telephone Network maps from TCC 7- Soil classification and climate digital maps from Ministry of Agriculture 8- Archeological sites digital maps from Department of Archeology 9- Road classification map from the traffic and transport section of the project 10- Traffic zones map from traffic atransport section of the project 11 - Planning districts and communities map from planning section of the project 12- Cadastrat villages and basins maps from land and survey department 13- Municipal boundaries map 15 Survey data from alt sections in the project GRID REFERENCING SYSTEM The grid referencing system to be used within the system should be decided so that all captured graphical data could be converted to this system. It should be noted that the grid system used in cadastral maps is the Palestinian Grid white the Geographic Center uses the JTM . DATA LAYERS 1- SPOT HEIGHTS 2- CONTOURS 3- EMSTING ROAD NETWORK * primary roads * secondary roads * coltectors * minor roads * paths 4- BOUNDARIES * villages * basins * municipalities * planning districts * communities * traffic zones 5- EXISTING DEVELOPMENT 6- LANDMARKS * landmarks * schools * heatth centers * social centers * constraints 7- EXISTING LANDUSE 8- APPROVED ROAD NETWORK 9- APPROVED LANDUSE 10- WATER NETWORK 11- DRAINAGE NETWORK 12- POWERNETWORK 13- TELEPHONE NETWOARK 14- ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES 15- SOIL CLASSIFICATION DATA ANALYSIS SPOT HIEGHTS The spot hieghts should be provided either on maps or in tabular form. The important thing is to have the three coordinates of each point (x,y, z). It is preferable to key in the points directly through the keyboard to have more accuracy . CONTOURS Contour maps, if provided in digital form, are to be loaded into the system as it is after being part of the system, it cannot be modified or regenerated with a different contour interval. The only way to generate a contour map is through the spothieghts and other controt points taken out by a ground controt survey, or elevation points taken off the contour map itself . EXISTING ROAD NETWORK On the existing road network map the following data should be provided: 1 - The start and end nodes of each road 2- A unique road number 3- The road name if possible 4- The road class Each road should be digitized from the start node to the end node and given its unique road number . Road classes are 1- Primary 2- Secondary 3- Collector 4- Local 5- Access BOUNDARIES The boundaries of municipalities , planning districts, communities, and traffic zones should be digitized using the existing road network as a guide. Village and basin boundaries can only be digitized using the grid referencing system on the map.All objects of these kinds should be entered as closed polygons and given identifiers as appropriate . The traffic zones are to be taken from traffic and transport section with all data relevant to the analysis of the project . Villages and basins are to be taken from land and survey department cadastral sheets . EXISTING DEVELOPMENT Existing built-up area is to be digitized as closed polygons or blocks defined by a certain category of landuse. Landuse classification is to be decided in coordination with the planning section . LANDMARKS Landmarks are to be digitized as either closed polygons or points. The type of landmark is to be attached as an attribute item of the landmark . EXISTING LANDUSE Existing tanduse should be treated in the same way as existing development with landuse codes attached to each block of tand . APPROVED ROAD NETWORK Approved road network is to be treated in the same way as existing road network layer except that it should be taken off approved zoning maps and extra attribute data is to be included . APPROVED LANDUSE Approved tanduse is to be treated as existing landuse with the same tanduse ctassiflcation system . WATER NETWORK Water network stations and lines are to be taken from proposed and existing water pipes and classified according to the ctassiflcation adopted in the Water Authority or Jordan Valley Authority . DRAINAGE NETWORK Drainage and sewer network stations and lines are to be taken from proposed and existing sewer pipes and ctassifled according to the classification adopted in the Water Authority or Jordan Valley Authority . POWER NETWORK High voltage proposed and existing power lines and stations are to be taken from Electricity Authority. TELEPHONE NETWORK Level of data in this layer is to be decided . ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES Archeological sites is to be treated in the same way as landmarks with the appropriate attribute data attached . SOIL CLASSIFICATION Soil classification is to be taken from existing digital maps . SELECTION OF A PILOT PROJECT PLANNING DISTRICT One planning district should be selected as a pilot district for the design of the information system . The district should represent a typical area where major urban activities and utilities exist . | Abstract Of The Paper & The Profile of The Speaker | Speaker Index | Paper Title Index | CGIS HOME PAGE CONTENTS