Building risking collapse in Jubeiha evacuated

AMMAN — Authorities on Sunday evacuated a four-storey building in Jubeiha area in north Amman for fears of collapse after detecting cracks in its foundation pillars, according to a municipal official.

A resident reported to the Civil Defence Department (CDD) about cracks appearing on one of the foundation pillars of the building, according to Raed Haddadin, head of the construction monitoring department at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).

“The CDD inspected the building and GAM decided to evacuate the building for safety concerns,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

GAM discovered that the owner of the building had allegedly divided the apartments into smaller studios, Haddadin said.

While the building was originally designed for 16 flats, the GAM teams counted 25 water tanks on its rooftop, which indicates a number of tenants higher than 16, according to the official.

GAM has also uncovered other violations on the same structure, including an unlicensed penthouse and 30 tonnes of debris on the rooftop.

The owner of the building was ordered to rectify the alleged violations, Haddadin said.

“We expect the residents to be able to return to the apartments within four days after the owner fixes the structure and removes the violations,” Haddadin highlighted.