Flood mitigation project to kick off next month — Amman mayor

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will implement a flood mitigation project targeting downtown Amman and the Seventh Circle next month, Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh said.

The project is expected to be completed in 240 days, the Amman mayor said.

In January of 2020, over 100 shops and warehouses in downtown Amman and four at the Seventh Circle were damaged during heavy rainfall, according to the Amman Chamber of Commerce.

The problem is a recurring one, with heavy rain in March of 2019 flooded downtown Amman and caused “extensive damage”, prompting people to vent their frustrations over the country’s “poor” infrastructure at the time.

In mid-August of 2019, GAM and the Amman Chamber of Commerce had pledged to reimburse the traders with a total of JD3 million; JD2 million of which would be supplied by GAM, and the remaining amount by the ACC. The reimbursements were distributed in several batches during the rest of the year.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Shawarbeh said that a bidding for the renovation project of the downtown area and in the vicinity of the Seventh Circle was offered to “provide solutions to address the continuous floods by offering the bidder the first stage of work in the project”.

The project in downtown Amman will start on Quraish Street and King Talal Street with the creation of a separate tunnel that passes through the Fountains’ Square and Ras Al Ain, ending up in the Raghadan Complex.

“The separate tunnel is to treat and facilitate the flow of rain water and the speed of its flow, hopefully eliminating any future floods,” said Shawarbeh.

With regard to the Seventh Circle, Shawarbeh said that the bidding for the section that falls on the Abdullah Ghosheh Street has been offered.

The project will create a separate tunnel along the Seventh Circle and then descend to reach Zahran Street, with the duration of the project expected to last 150 days.