AMMAN – The rainy season is finally here, bringing the
Kingdom much-needed water, but with it, also often problems.
اضافة اعلان
Clogged sewerage and flooded tunnels are regular
occurrences in winter, but this year, the
Ministry of Water and Irrigation was
quoted, on Monday, by a local media outlet as saying that it is mobilizing all
its relevant cadres and departments to prepare for any challenges that may
arise from the rain, and the drop in temperature forecast for the Kingdom, assuring
that it will respond to any complaints and issues 24 hours a day.
The ministry's operation
centers are fully functional and actively coordinating with local water
companies and administrations on the latest needs of the Kingdom's
governorates and municipalities, it said.
Director-General of the
Yarmouk Water Company (YWC)Muntaser Momani told Jordan News that Jordanian homeowners need to be
warned about a frequent errors some commit during rainfall periods, which is
that they "connect their house rain gutters to a nearby wastewater and sewerage
network, which leads to overflow that can cause damage to the pipes."
"Our
wastewater network is designed specifically for the purpose of carrying wastewater
from Jordanian houses. The volume of water it can carry is quite limited, and if
not handled properly, it can lead to some flooding," he said.
A company fully owned by the
Water Authority of Jordan,
YWC's expertise does not necessarily
involve solving the issue of flooding, a duty reserved for Jordan's municipalities, said Momani. YWC's main duties are to
ensure the efficient distribution of water to citizens and address their
concerns relating to water services, as well purifying wastewater in the Kingdom's northern governorates.
He also said that Jordan should work to
benefit from rainwater by increasing the amount of collection reservoirs
throughout the Kingdom. This "will reduce the volume of water wasted"
and reduce the high demand for water distributed by YWC.
By way of advice for the rainy season, Momani said
that in order to prevent the malfunctioning of water meters when temperatures
drop considerably, and to prevent the bursting of water pipes at homes, citizens
are advised "to
insulate their pipes with rock-based mineral wool, which also prevents waters
from freezing".
If temperatures drop in the Kingdom, as forecast, the
ministry will not face any major shortage of required resources or machinery
needed to tackle possible problems, ministry spokesperson Omar Salameh told Jordan
News.
"We
are prepared for any occurrence, be they challenges from rain or from snow,"
he assured.
Salameh also said that Jordan's
precipitation level last season was "weak,
as only 50 to 60 percent of the dams' capacity was
filled during that time period. We have dams that can collect up to 360 million
cubic meters, in addition to having artificially constructed water catchment
basins that can collect about 111 million cubic meters of water."
The Kingdom is aiming for higher numbers this season.
"The ministry is preparing
emergency response teams who will be equipped and prepared to deal with any
issues resulting from the weather in many areas, like the
Jordan Valley, in
case any problems occur with their irrigation and wastewater networks. Farmers
are advised to protect their crops from any damage that may arise from
temperature drops, by covering their crops in the manner recommended by the
Ministry of Agriculture," Salameh added.
The Ministry
is also taking measures to prevent citizens from approaching water facilities
and dams during this time of low temperatures and rainfall, in order to prevent
the disruption of work carried out on these dams, and also to prevent loss of life resulting from
drowning, he said.
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