Khaberni - Dr. Bakr Al-Rahamneh, Director of the Municipal Councils Directorate at the Ministry of Local Administration, said that a number of provinces in the kingdom experienced heavy and rapid rainfall during the recent period of atmospheric instability, causing problems in various areas of the kingdom.
He added that the current infrastructure in some municipalities is no longer able to keep up with the conditions of climate change, which includes sudden and intense rainfall, pointing out the importance of conducting comprehensive engineering studies to address the old infrastructure.
He explained that the weather instability, especially in regions like the Jordan Valley (north, central, and south), Wadi Shuaib, and Hashimiyyah in Zarqa, led to soil and rock slides, causing traffic movement obstruction in some main streets such as Wadi Shuaib Street, and the Dead Sea-Aqaba Road, and Shafa Badran-Bireen Road in Zarqa, which were addressed immediately.
He clarified that the Abu Al-Zayghan area in the Hashimiyyah municipality has repeatedly experienced such conditions in 2021 and 2023, which necessitates a reevaluation of the infrastructure, indicating that the proximity of buildings to stream courses and granting construction licenses without a proper buffer zone has increased the damages.
He added, to ensure the protection of citizens and their properties, and to prevent the recurrence of floods in the future, the ministry instructed the municipalities to identify hotspots and redesign and rehabilitate the infrastructure, to accommodate the conditions of atmospheric instability and climate change in all regions of the kingdom.
He affirmed that the ministry has asked municipalities to allocate financial amounts for infrastructure projects, and that the ministry will provide technical support to needy municipal projects, contributing financially to the completion of the work.
