Ajloun — Every year, the relevant authorities identify high-risk locations across Ajloun Governorate and attempt to address them ahead of winter. Despite efforts to strengthen public safety measures and prevent flash floods and road erosion, questions remain over why some projects are delayed until shortly before winter, slowing implementation and sometimes causing work to stall.
اضافة اعلان
Activists and residents are calling for high-risk locations to be identified as soon as winter ends, with projects carried out during the summer so they are ready before the next rainy season. Flash floods frequently damage roads and infrastructure and disrupt traffic as water levels rise on roadways.
Several authorities in Ajloun Governorate, including the Joint Services Council, municipalities and the Public Works Department, are currently implementing road infrastructure and rainwater drainage projects. Other authorities have announced plans to begin projects addressing high-risk locations in the coming period.
Calls to improve winter preparedness in Ajloun focus on addressing high-risk areas and key roads. They include directing government efforts and public works projects toward repairing slopes and rehabilitating roads that experience landslides or water accumulation every winter, preparing drainage networks, and urging municipalities and public works teams to open and clean rainwater culverts. Other measures include removing rocks and tree branches from slopes to prevent them from sliding or blocking roads, and raising the level of roads prone to water accumulation to ensure runoff flows away from residents’ homes.
Activist Jamal Abu Rashed believes that effective preparedness for potential disasters and hazards, particularly natural events associated with winter weather, requires early and extensive preparations and advance plans by all relevant authorities to address risks and limit their negative impact on public life. He called for tenders for these projects to be issued and the work completed during the summer, ensuring the infrastructure is ready to handle rainfall when winter arrives.
He also proposed training and preparing volunteers to assist official agencies during emergencies. Municipalities and public works authorities, he said, should complete projects related to road safety and rainwater drainage to help prevent accidents that repeatedly occur during flash floods and landslides.
Road sections at risk of collapse
Activist Mohammad Mzeid said winter preparations should not be limited to cleaning rainwater drainage channels. Instead, technical committees should conduct studies to identify dangerous locations, including areas and road sections at risk of collapse, and additional drainage channels should be installed on roads where rainwater levels rise.
He called for essential projects, such as large drainage culverts and retaining walls, to be completed. These structures are expected to channel rainwater safely and effectively into valleys without damaging roads and to prevent potential landslides.
Resident Bader Al-Smadi criticized delays in starting these projects until shortly before winter. He said flash floods in Ajloun’s steeply sloping areas create numerous potholes and cracks in roads, turning them into hazards for vehicles. The damage can affect essential vehicle components and compromise road safety, while also leaving owners facing substantial repair costs.
He urged authorities not to leave potholes untreated on local roads managed by municipalities and external roads overseen by the Ministry of Public Works. He called on public works officials and municipalities to form specialized technical committees to assess the damage and address it properly.
Resident Hussein Al-Momani said the problem persists despite regular maintenance of roads, rainwater drainage channels and floodwater courses ahead of winter. He attributed this to insufficient drainage capacity and road paving that often fails to meet proper standards and specifications. Some areas, he said, require roads to be rebuilt entirely and dangerous locations to be addressed before winter.
Al-Momani expressed hope that the construction of box culverts, channels and rainwater drainage routes from the Abin intersection toward Ajloun would resolve the problem at its source.
Official sources said delays in implementing these projects are linked to the timing of tender announcements and contract awards following the approval of budgets and allocated funds.
Meanwhile, Al-Oyoun Municipality has carried out a campaign to clean rainwater drainage networks, valley channels and culverts in the Sannar area as part of its preparations for the rainy season.
Al-Junaid Municipality, which experiences some of the governorate’s highest rainfall levels, is continuing work in several areas to address locations vulnerable to rain-related damage. The work has included rehabilitating, cleaning and expanding the Sakhra pond to increase its capacity to hold rainwater, as well as scraping and widening roads and removing earth, debris and obstructions from roadsides in Abin, Ablin and other areas.
These measures come amid challenges faced by the municipality during winter, particularly the formation of water pools and rising water levels during heavy rainfall. Addressing these problems requires suitable equipment
and water pumps.
During the previous season, New Kufranjah Municipality developed a plan based on identifying high-risk locations and conducting field inspections to address sites requiring intervention. Measures included opening culverts, constructing drainage channels and cleaning floodwater courses. The municipality also activated its operations and emergency room and increased the readiness of its staff and machinery to respond to emergencies.
Al-Shafa Municipality is also strengthening its preparedness through emergency plans and the deployment of field teams. It has established an emergency room to receive residents’ reports and respond to locations that may experience water accumulation or weather-related hazards.
Valley channels and drainage systems
Greater Ajloun Municipality’s preparations have included projects to construct and maintain rainwater drainage networks at key locations, alongside cleaning culverts, monitoring valley channels and drainage routes, and installing temporary water barriers at certain sites to direct runoff away from residential areas.
Preparations are not limited to municipalities. Ajloun’s Public Works Directorate is also reviewing its readiness for the rainy season, including the condition of its machinery and personnel and its operational plans, with particular emphasis on cleaning culverts and improving rainwater drainage.
Public Works Director Engineer Alaa Al-Hazaimeh said the ministry had begun implementing a project to address high-risk locations along the road from the Abin intersection toward Ajloun city. The project, costing approximately JD1 million, includes replacing culverts and constructing box culverts, channels and drainage routes to reduce water accumulation at locations where the problem has repeatedly occurred in previous rainy seasons.
Kufranjah Municipality Executive Director Abdul Karim Freihat said municipalities were increasing their technical and field readiness. Coordination among municipalities, public works authorities, Civil Defense, other official agencies and residents remains essential in dealing with adverse weather, particularly in areas near valleys and flood channels.
He added that measures initiated before the rainy season reflect a shift away from responding only after problems occur toward proactively addressing high-risk locations, improving drainage networks and preparing emergency rooms, machinery and field teams. These efforts aim to reduce the impact of heavy rainfall, protect residents and keep traffic moving safely.
The Ajloun Joint Services Council also affirmed that it remains operationally prepared, committed to providing the best possible services and working responsibly to maintain the governorate’s cleanliness and protect its public facilities.
New Kufranjah Municipality has also begun work under a tender for rainwater drainage projects at high-risk locations. The initiative aims to address sites most vulnerable to water accumulation, improve drainage efficiency and strengthen infrastructure readiness across the Kufranjah District.
The work includes excavation, construction and technical drainage solutions at several key locations: the Ain Al-Bustan intersection; Rajeb and Safit–Al-Rubaiseh; the Ain Al-Bustan uphill road; lower Ain Al-Bustan; opposite the Kufranjah roundabout near the market; and opposite the Kufranjah Municipality building.
As part of its ongoing work, Al-Junaid Municipality has installed a gate at the Sakhra pond and repaired the surrounding fence to protect public safety and reduce risks to children. The municipality has also fully cleaned and expanded the pond, increasing its capacity to hold more rainwater and make better use of it.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Amer Khattatbeh
