GAM reiterates preparedness for winter

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Saturday said it has taken a number of measures in preparation for winter that included cleaning sewage networks across the Kingdom. 

The municipality said it has also covered sewage pipes with plastic bags to prevent litter and dust, GAM road department director Ehab Dabbas said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Dabbas added that GAM has installed more sewer pipes at various locations across the capital to fix a number of problems detected during the previous wet season.

GAM came under fierce criticism when heavy rainfall flooded downtown Amman in March, causing extensive damage to shops and properties. Citizens at the time cited the "rusty and ailing infrastructure" and GAM's "unpreparedness" as the reasons behind the catastrophe.  

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Deputy Director for Districts and Environmental Affairs at GAM Basem Tarawneh said that the municipality has started early with its preparations to ascertain the infrastructure's preparedness for winter.

"Firstly, I guarantee that GAM is always prepared with its maximum capacities,” Tarawneh said, adding that last year’s heavy rain was due to climate change, which doesn’t only affect Jordan but also the world.

"The extreme weather conditions during the last wet season caused heavy rain like never before, which the main drainage system's capacity could not absorb," Tarawneh said.

The municipality’s cadres have also cleaned the main culvert in downtown Amman’s Saqf Al Sail area from the end of Quraish Street to the exit in Mahatta area, removing silt from wadi streams, while also working on constructing concrete retaining walls. 

The GAM has also completed several tunnel and box culvert projects at different locations in Amman to resolve issues observed during previous winter seasons, according to an earlier statement. 

Personnel have double-checked the preparedness of water pumps for rainwater tanks installed inside tunnels, which they do at night when trafic is light  and to make sure water is pumped out properly.