AMMAN —
Spokesperson of the
Ministry of Agriculture Lawrence Al-Majali said that the
ministry has carried out its duties to the fullest, and that “our team was
present in all operating rooms around the Kingdom, and in coordination with the
concerned authorities, we have provided the necessary service”.
اضافة اعلان
Majali added
that the ministry had allocated 70 four-wheel drive and various other vehicles
to carry out needed operations, and that 350 employees worked in various
operating rooms.
Responding to
accusations that in many places power was cut off because of trees, he said
that the
Jordan Electric Power Company (JEPCO) has the authority to remove
fallen branches or trees if the electricity delivery service is disrupted.
General Manager
of the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO) Hassan Abdullah on Saturday
apologized to Jordanians for the power outage, admitting “failure” during the
blizzard.
Speaking on Roya
TV, Abdullah said that about 2,163 employees and 450 different types of machinery,
including 10 bulldozers, were deployed to deal with the outcome of recent
weather conditions.
JEPCO’s
spokesperson, Mohammad Seifan, said that the JEPCO teams, which were
distributed throughout the Kingdom, remained in the field for three consecutive
days, adding that the power outages were caused by exceptional climatic
conditions and the closure of many roads made it difficult to reach many places
where the problem needed fixing.
Moreover, the
trees that fell severed electricity wires and uprooted 160 utility poles that
are part of main lines, he said, stressing that the company did not fall short
and did not blame any party, but was on standby and had announced an emergency
plan a few days before the snowfall.
“We, as a
company, draw lessons and experiences and identify the flaws to address them,”
Seifan said.
Lower House of Parliament member Zaid Otoom said on Saturday that more than 80 deputies had
signed a memorandum requesting that a parliament session be held to discuss the
power outages that occurred in the central regions and to hold those
responsible accountable.
He also said the
Parliamentary Energy Committee met with
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Al-Kharabsheh and Chairman of the
Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Hussein Allaboun, and that the committee members
asked about the reasons for the power outage, and whether emergency plans had
been made by JEPCO and EMRC.
MP Yanal Freihat
said that here was negligence on the part JEPCO, the Greater Amman
Municipality, and the Ministry of Agriculture, and that “citizens do not care
who is responsible, what the defaulting party is, as much as they care to enjoy
the service itself”.
Freihat stressed
the need to both hold negligent parties accountable and compensate those affected.
MP Khaled Al-Shloul said
that citizens were angered by the long hours of power outage in Amman and the
central areas, and that the electricity company should have been better
prepared, especially since everyone was aware of the strength of the polar
depression.
Read more National news
.jpg)
.jpg)
