Collapsed Jofeh buildings to be cleared; 3 others to be demolished

By Hana Namrouqa - Mar 06,2017 - Last updated at Mar 06,2017

A decision to demolish the three collapsed buildings in Jabal Al Jofeh and to clear the rubble was taken following a recommendation from the Jordan National Building Council and the higher construction committee (Photo by Sahem Rababah)

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Monday started clearing debris from the site where three buildings collapsed in Jabal Al Jofeh earlier this year, according to a municipal official.

GAM will also demolish another three buildings in Jabal Al Jofeh due to fears of collapse, according to Raed Haddadin, head of the construction monitoring department at the municipality.

“The process of demolishing the buildings and clearing the debris should take about two weeks if no other problems arise,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

GAM has referred the work of demolition and clearing of debris to a specialised contractor, the official said, noting that GAM will cover the costs.

The decision was taken following a recommendation from the Jordan National Building Council and the higher construction committee, Haddadin noted.

The contractor will work under strict guidelines to ensure the safety of adjacent buildings, and will be operating under the supervision of GAM, the Public Security Department, the Civil Defence Department (CDD), the electricity and water companies, the Royal Scientific Society and the Jordan National Building Council, according to Haddadin.

Dozens of families were evacuated in January when three buildings collapsed in the east Amman neighbourhood. Authorities were initially notified that part of a residential building in Jofeh had collapsed.

Reports said a young engineer from the area saw cracks in one building and called the CDD, after which he managed to convince the residents to evacuate shortly before the first building collapsed.

The CDD evacuated hundreds from the surrounding buildings, with the help of police and social development officials.

The concerned agencies evacuated dozens of families of more than 380 people and provided them with alternative accommodation upon the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah.

While the families alleged that authorities’ “negligence” was behind the collapse, the Jordan National Building Council maintained that arbitrary construction and cesspools were the primary cause.

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