GAM urges public to prepare for winter

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Wednesday launched its annual campaign, raising awareness about public safety.

GAM, through various communication channels, called for checking of the pumping system in shops, especially those that are on the street level, urging traders to take precautionary measures while storing their goods in underground warehouses. 

The municipality urged project owners and contractors to secure construction material and ensure rainwater will not cause any erosion that could in turn cause closures of drainage lines, according to the statement.

In case of severe rainfall or snowing, GAM instructed the public to not connect their rain gutters to the sewage networks to avoid flooding of manholes. 

The campaign also addressed negative practices, including throwing garbage randomly, which causes closures of drainages. 

GAM highlighted the issue of climate change and its impact, the statement noted. 

Earlier in June, the municipality launched a plan to address the effects of climate change in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and support from the World Bank. 

The plan determined the practical steps that would contribute to reducing the impact of climate change.

The municipality called for unifying the efforts of the concerned authorities to deal with the phenomenon. 

GAM voiced its readiness to receive notes during winter on its hotlines 065359970 and 065359971. 

Also on Wednesday, the committee concerned with the safety of dams, in cooperation with the national committee of dams, held a meeting headed by Water Minister Raed Abul Saud, in which they discussed the readiness of water facilities to deal with the upcoming rainy season, following a visit to all the main dams in the Kingdom.

The minister voiced the “will” of the water sector to complete several projects related to construction of dams in valleys and deserts, as well as ponds and water borders in dadia areas, to create new sources that would help preserve the current strategic water storage from overuse, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.