- From seasonal floods to strategic opportunities
The policies, principles, and foundational global literature led by the United Nations Organization for disaster risk reduction (UNDRR) confirm that disasters are not only a result of natural phenomena, but directly reflect the quality of decisions we make in planning and managing resources.
Through my work in disaster risk reduction in Jordan and the Arab region, I repeatedly see how the same challenges can become genuine opportunities when managed with well-considered decisions. This connection is clearly evident every winter season. The scenes of water accumulation and flooding in some areas of Amman Governorate, such as tunnels and low-lying streets, or in parts of the Karak, Zarqa and Balqa governorates, among others, are no longer exceptional events, but have become a recurring pattern. These cases do not only reflect the severity of rainfall but reveal challenges in urban planning, investment in water runoff infrastructure, and surface runoff management.
But the scene is not limited to challenges only. At the same time, Jordan is making tangible progress in strategic areas that enhance its resilience and ability to face disasters and reduce their impacts at the national and local level, such as investing in renewable energy, expanding the use of modern irrigation technologies, and adopting climate-smart agriculture. These efforts directly align with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to clean water and sustainable cities and communities, and climate action. This progress reflects that Jordan is moving in the right direction, but the ground reality indicates a significant opportunity to enhance the integration of these efforts.
One of the key lessons from repeated flooding is that rainwater, which causes damage in cities, can be turned into a strategic resource. Investing in rainwater harvesting, such as creating groundwater recharge wells, accumulation tanks, and surface runoff management systems, can achieve a dual equation of reducing flood risks and losses from one side and enhancing water and food security in one of the world's most water-scarce countries on the other side.
This aligns directly with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, especially in understanding risks through analyzing the causes of repeated flooding and investing in risk reduction in infrastructure, water harvesting, and enhancing readiness and effective response. In my opinion, investing in rainwater harvesting is no longer a technical option, but a strategic necessity for water and food security in Jordan at both the national and community levels.
From what I observe in the field, the problem is not the absence of solutions, but in the speed of adopting them and their integration across different sectors. The next phase requires urban planning based on risk assessment, especially in areas prone to flooding, updating and expanding rainwater drainage networks, enhancing early warning systems, and linking them to community behavior and investing in nature-based solutions and involving local communities as partners in prevention, not just as beneficiaries.
Personally, this question has been repeatedly raised directly in many lectures and discussions in workshops with national entities and local communities in Jordan and the Arab region: What do we do after the warning? This in itself is an indicator of the importance of linking technical systems to community behavior.
From field observations and tracking people's reactions on social media platforms and others, it is clear that the main gap is not in the absence of early warning systems, but in the connection between them and community behavior. Often, warnings are issued, but the most important question remains: Do people actually know how to act afterward? This challenge requires a shift from merely “delivering information” to “changing behavior”, through ongoing awareness, training, and building trust between institutions and the community.
Jordan's experience today is not ideal, but it is realistic and advanced at the same time. It is the experience of a country facing climate challenges and limited resources, but it is gradually building a more flexible and proactive model.
The idea here is not to highlight the problem, but the possibility and the real opportunity: every flood is a warning... but it is also an opportunity to rethink, improve the decision, and build a more efficient system.. Ultimately, risks are not only managed when they occur, but are made or mitigated through the decisions we make every day..
#Jordan #RiskManagement #DRR #ClimateChange #Resilience
Nour Jamal Alsaaydeh
Disaster Risk Reduction Consultant and Specialist
Founder and CEO of the Jordanian Human Shielding Association
JHRS-JO.ORG – We can't avoid a disaster, but we can be well prepared and minimize the impact.
