Today, the roads of Tafilah stand as witnesses that do not flatter, speaking of a reality that imposes itself with its sharpness every time the sky pours rain—a reality where scenes of drowning and blockage recur until the roads, which are supposed to be life arteries, have become trails of worry and danger spots, lurking for both vehicles and passersby alike.
From the road leading to Al-Baqi' Cemetery, where the agony of families doubles when water surrounds them in moments of last farewells, to the road of Wadi Zeid at Al-Dawodieh fuel station, which frequently sees obstructed movement,
passing through Al-Qasr road in Al-Hamma Al-Samra area where floodwaters gather threatening the safety of those passing by, up to Al-Baranis Street at Al-Dallah roundabout and Palestine Street opposite Diwan of Al-Hawamdeh tribe, where a clear image of blockage exemplifies the weakness in drainage and the absence of sustainable solutions, evidence of a failure that can no longer be silently accepted continues.
And if Al-Mansoura road through Palestine Street and Al-Sayl is currently blocked by silt, stones, and flood debris, this summarizes a tragedy of forced isolation imposed by nature in the absence of preparedness. Meanwhile, the road connecting between Al-Qatifah neighborhood and Al-Bahrat neighborhood under the castle in the "Al-Qaf" area narrates a story of ancient roads that found no one to maintain them, while the road adjacent to the Licensing Department towards Abu Bana and the main road in Wadi Zeid below the military hospital reveals weaknesses in planning at some of the most dangerous and sensitive locations.
The situation is no less troubling in the housing of Wadi Zeid and the road adjacent to Imam Ali Mosque in Al-Teen area, where drainage work started but was not completed, leaving the road unprepared as if the project was abandoned midway, leaving the people directly facing the danger
These repeated images are not transient details or scattered geography but are glaring indicators of the lack of coordination between relevant authorities, and a flaw in the strategic planning that should precede rather than follow implementation. The issue is no longer seasonal or circumstantial, but has become an open wound in the body of infrastructure, calling for an honest stand and shared responsibility that does not accept deferral.
Here, the responsibilities are clearly defined, unequivocally.
The Tafilah Greater Municipality is tasked to be the vigilant eye on the details of the roads and their maintenance, the Governorate Council needs to raise its voice, direct the compass, and provide the necessary budgets, and the Tafilah Works Directorate represents the executive arm that transforms plans into reality, while the Joint Services Council has the duty to unify efforts and break the logic of fragmentation. The challenge is greater than any one entity, and the solution can only be collective coordinated action.
The roads are not merely asphalt but are life arteries that connect people to their jobs, schools, hospitals, and graves, and when these arteries are blocked, the entire city suffocates. Today, the responsibility is a national local shared one, and the call is directed to the four entities to stand together as one, and to clearly declare that Tafilah will no longer remain captive to floods nor prisoner to excuses. Radical solutions, aware planning, and precise follow-up are required
so that the roads can return to their natural function: serving humanity, not threatening it.
Tafilah, which deserves to be a beacon, should not be allowed to drown in seasonal ponds, and the decision today is in your hands, you stakeholders...!!!
