A review of the health components of USAID”s water sector strategy for Jordan, this report first raises questions about the suitability of a proposed wastewater treatment system, suggesting that: (1) too much attention may have been given to water quality (as opposed to water quantity); and (2) simple linking of water supply and fecal disposal with diarrhea neglects the interrelationships among malnutrition, lower respiratory diseases, and diarrhea in infants and children. The author then (1) examines socioeconomic aspects of a recent technical and financial feasibility study of the Irbid Water Supply and Sanitation Project; (2) reviews recent research on environmental conditions and health status in two Jordanian cities, discussing methodological problems and the proposed research linking infant mortality estimates to water and sanitation conditions in specific neighborhoods; and (3) delineates some alternative primary health care (PHC) approaches, providing cost calculations and coverage estimates for five alternative systems.
