AMMAN — A
Ministry of Agriculture endeavor is set to create work opportunities, mitigate the impact
of
climate change, reduce air pollution, breathe oxygen into the environment,
and enhance aesthetics to city entrances along the Desert Highway.
اضافة اعلان
The project, recently launched
by the ministry, aims to afforest 80 percent of the sideways of the Desert
Highway over a period of four years, a ministry official told
Jordan News on
Tuesday.
Khaled Qudah, the head of
the ministry’s Afforestation Directorate said the project would create 8,000
temporary employment opportunities for the local communities living in the
towns and villages along the highway. “It’s an opportunity for unemployed young
people to work for three months during each phase of the project,” he added.
Safa Jayousi, an
environment and climate change expert, said that this project is an important
contribution to the efforts of dealing with the climate change and will help in
reducing air pollution and producing oxygen.
In addition to the afforestation
efforts, Jayousi called for preserving existing trees by increasing scrutiny on
logging and uprooting trees for construction purposes, and highlighted the importance
of choosing the appropriate types of trees that correspond to the habitat of
the highway to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Qudah assured that the
ministry has determined the suitable types of trees that can flourish in the dry
desert climate, including such indigenous trees as Tamarix, acacia, Casuarina, and
Schinus molle (known as rosé or false pepper).
The project will focus on
the entrances of governorates and towns such as Karak, Tafileh, and Shobak, as
well as towns where the highway passes through and were irrigation is available
such as Zeezya, Qatraneh, Hassa, and Maan, said the official.
Irrigation water will be transferred
from South Amman Water Treatment Plant and pumped from artesian wells that
produce water with high sulfur but safe for irrigation, according to Qudah.
The Ministry of
Agriculture will cooperate with the local community and the concerned
ministries and agencies to resolve issues related to electricity, water and gas
lines along the highway.
The Desert Highway,
Highway 15, connects the south to the north of Jordan starting from Aqaba,
Jordan’s southernmost city, to Ramtha at the Syrian border. A water harvesting
system will be implemented for irrigation and will serve to preserve moisture
for the trees in the future.
This highway is based on
the ancient Sultani Pilgrimage Road that was used over centuries by pilgrims
from
Turkey and
Syria to Mecca and Madina. It is parallel to the well-known
King’s Highway.
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