GAM reiterates preparedness for winter season as heavy rains impact Kingdom

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said it has put in place all necessary measures to deal with the current weather conditions affecting the Kingdom.  

“The preparation for the winter season starts from the beginning of each year and each season especially with the climate change affecting everywhere,” said Naser Rahamneh, GAM spokesperson.

"GAM teams began cleaning the water sewage networks from dust and soil in September in preparation for winter,” Rahamneh said. 

The challenge is to extend the draining net to cover all Amman’s areas, he said. “We work on increasing the number of pipes to drain rain water, especially in the new areas."

“The main problem is when some streets get closed because of floods,” Rahamneh said, noting that on average, the municipality opens it in 10 to 30 minutes. 

Pumps of different sizes and water fenders are used in rainy times, the spokesperson said, adding that GAM has between 130 and 150 snow ploughs to be deployed to open main streets.

"There are around 4,000 or 5,000 workers checking on bridges and sewage networks.'

“There is a big difference between this year and the past years. The weather is changing. We have been witnessing the longest heavy rains over times,” Rahamneh added.