Ammon News - The Ministry of Local Administration on Thursday said it instructed municipalities to identify flood hotspots and redesign and upgrade infrastructure to accommodate weather instability and climate change across the Kingdom, following the recent heavy rainfall, which resulted in floods and landslides.

Director of the Municipal Councils Directorate at the Ministry, Bakr Rahamneh, said the Ministry has requested municipalities to allocate funds for infrastructure projects, adding that the Ministry will provide technical support where needed and contribute financially to the completion of priority projects.

He pointed out that the existing infrastructure in some municipalities is no longer capable of coping with the effects of climate change, particularly sudden and intense rainfall, stressing the need for comprehensive engineering studies to address the aging infrastructure.

He explained that the unstable weather, especially in the Jordan Valley (northern, central, and southern regions), Wadi Shuaib, and al-Hashimiyah in Zarqa, caused landslides and rockfalls that disrupted traffic on several main roads, including Wadi Shuaib Street, the Dead Sea-Aqaba Road, and the Shafa Badran-Bireen-Zarqa Road. These issues were addressed promptly.

Rahamneh noted that the Abu Zighan area in the al-Hashimiyah municipality experienced similar flooding in 2021 and 2023, underscoring the need to review the existing infrastructure. He pointed out that the proximity of buildings to wadi beds and the issuance of building permits without adequate buffer zones contributed to the damage.