In preparation for the upcoming winter season and its accompanying climatic challenges, national and institutional efforts are being combined to extract lessons learned from previous seasons, and to enhance joint coordination mechanisms between various sectors; to raise the efficiency of infrastructure, speed up response, and ensure the protection of lives and public property.
Media spokesperson for the Greater Amman Municipality, Mu'ath Al-Hadid, emphasizes the importance of learning from the lessons of previous seasons and addressing the observations that appeared during them, which contributes to raising the level of readiness and preparation for the upcoming rainy season to reduce the effects of weather conditions on the movement of citizens and infrastructure, and enhance the speed of response in case of any emergency.
He points to the need to enhance prior coordination between various concerned parties and establish a clear mechanism for joint work during weather conditions to ensure the distribution of roles, explaining that civil defense cadres work throughout the year with high efficiency, and that the presence of an emergency committee and effective coordination between various institutions contributes to dealing with weather conditions more efficiently and quickly responding to any event.
He stresses the need for preparations for the rainy season to start early by intensifying comprehensive inspection and cleaning works for drainage and rainwater drainage networks to ensure their readiness to receive rain quantities, in addition to being fully prepared to deal with snowfall cases.
Al-Hadid concludes by pointing out that the main challenges during the winter season are the accumulation of dirt and waste inside manholes and water drains, which may lead to obstructing water flow and increasing the likelihood of flash floods, water accumulation, and the closure of some streets.
Former advisor, Engineer Ibrahim Al-Hayassat, confirms that Jordan is not only required to have an annual plan, but also the need to convert these plans into a roadmap and written procedures known to all concerned parties that need to be implemented.
Al-Hayassat suggests the importance of having a national register of hotspots that all concerned parties can access to work on addressing and classifying them according to the degree of danger, along with conducting a comprehensive study to determine the size of the problem and the required procedures to address it.
He points out that the Jordanian government's response is a clear strength in rescue, first aid, and managing reports, with full coordination, cooperation, and high-efficiency movement of security agencies, civil defense, and relevant government agencies in dealing with weather conditions.
Al-Hayassat adds that we notice a limitation in the efficiency of some fords and rainwater drains, as well as the pumps and mechanisms designated for dealing with flash floods due to the lack of necessary maintenance for them, in addition to some tunnels and low-lying streets being exposed to large water accumulations resulting from heavy rainfall in record times, leading to the recurrence of some problems, primarily the failure to address some hot spots and flood channels radically in advance.
Al-Hayassat draws attention to the need for individuals to have a high degree of awareness, cooperation, and full commitment to the instructions of the authorities and concerned parties, and to avoid going out during winter unless for urgent necessity, and to refrain from driving vehicles towards dangerous roads or areas, noting the recurrence of the heating issue and the resulting deaths due to suffocation and improper use of heaters despite intensive warnings, which reflects a gap that requires transitioning from merely hearing warnings to adopting a "personal preparedness and full preparation culture."
Al-Hayassat explains that this is not related to just one winter season, but extends to being linked to the phenomenon of climate change and its accompanying rainfall in some areas, such as the sudden heavy rains in Karak or the devastating flash floods in desert areas, and since individuals may not expect such sudden flash floods, they must have full awareness and take measures to prevent harm.
Al-Hayassat concludes that the concerned agencies are preparing by developing emergency plans and preparing fords and opening water drains before receiving the winter season based on the experiences of previous seasons
