'Let's go downtown Amman' kicks off to support businesses affected by flooding

AMMAN — The campaign "Let's go downtown Amman", intended to support shop owners in downtown Amman who were affected by recent flooding, launched on Friday.

Activists said the campaign sprouted from a sense of social solidarity and aimed to help alleviate the losses of shop owners whose businesses were hit by flooding in downtown Amman. 

A local vendor who works outside the Grand Husseini Mosque told The Jordan Times that “every time the area floods, it affects my business. I lose a day of sales, maybe even two, when people cannot come to our market”. 

The first hours of the campaign were marked by a high turnout, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Peter Hermann, a tourist from Germany, said “I learnt about the campaign on social media, and came here today to buy souvenirs to take back home. Knowing that I may help someone affected by the floods by shopping here makes me happier.” 

The campaign showed solidarity, but in financial terms, it did not handle the problem well, as most of the downtown stores were closed for holidays when the campaign launched on Friday, said Sultan Alaan, a member of the Amman Chamber of Commerce. However, Alaan added that the campaign could not be evaluated by a single day.

The local community has shouldered its part, but the government's role in terms of compensating people affected by the flooding still remains uncertain, he added.

Heavy rainfall flooded downtown Amman last week causing "extensive damage" and prompting some to express their frustration over the country's "poor" infrastructure on social media platforms, while others decided to launch an initiative to extend a helping hand to those affected.

After the flooding, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) council decided to form a committee, tasked with investigating why the rainfall was not adequately controlled. 

The committee is comprised of local committee members from the most affected areas, as well as a representative from the Amman Chamber of Commerce. 

The mayor of Amman said that GAM, as part of its infrastructure development strategy, will study drainage needs in each area, adding that the infrastructure of any city is dependent on the average, not the extraordinary, rate of rainfall and snow.

GAM also plans to exempt businesses affected by flooding from certain registration and waste fees for two years, according to recent comments by the mayor.