Drains, dams ‘ready for winter’ — officials

AMMAN — The capital’s drainage system is ready to manage and discharge rainwater during winter, a municipal official said on Monday.

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) started clearing waste caught up in manholes across the capital’s roads, tunnels and streams in September, according to Basem Tarawneh, deputy director for districts and environmental affairs at GAM.

“The plastic bags that we cover manholes with after the wet season ends were all removed in preparation for any rain,” Tarawneh noted.

A plan has been drafted to deal with weather-related emergencies during winter, he said, under which GAM will deploy technical teams to intersections, main streets, bridges and tunnels when it rains. 

Meanwhile, the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) has also finalised its annual check-up and maintenance of the country’s dams in preparation for the winter season.

“The dams are ready to store rainwater. They now hold 95 million cubic metres (mcm), which is less than the amount stored this time last year,” JVA Secretary General Saad Abu Hammour told The Jordan Times.

At this time in 2015, the country’s 10 major dams, which have a capacity of 325mcm, held 132mcm after rain started early.

The Jordan Meteorological Department said on Monday that a wet air mass is expected to affect the country from Tuesday night.

The department indicated on its website that the wet air mass will cause temperatures to dip slightly below their annual average for this time of the year, with rain expected in the north and scattered showers in the central region.

In preparation for winter, the Central Traffic Department (CTD) has also announced that it will begin its annual pre-winter inspection campaign on Sunday to ensure vehicles comply with regulations.

Authorities will inspect tyres, windscreen wipers, lights and heating systems as well as external bodywork, according to the CTD. 

If a vehicle fails the inspection, the motorist’s licence will be held for a week, the department said, indicating that if the driver does not fix the vehicle, a ticket will be issued.

Stickers will be issued to vehicles that pass the inspection.