Floods on UJ campus disrupt classes

AMMAN — Parts of the University of Jordan (UJ) campus were flooded on Thursday as a result of a torrential early morning downpour that drenched several parts of the capital.

Many students could not attend their morning lectures due to the floods that reached their classrooms, while others were stuck inside campus buildings because of the bad weather.

Water levels at the faculty of arts reached as high as 60 centimetres, impeding students from entering or leaving the building.

Students from other faculties who also attend classes at the faculty of arts building were unable to do so on Thursday.

“I didn’t make it to the university this morning; the roads were closed and the traffic was crazy. I missed my first two lectures,” said Leen Abu Shamat, who studies at the faculty of foreign languages.

Areas like the clock tower and the main campus gate were also inundated, which made it difficult for students, professors, and other staff to enter or leave the university.

Students said the floods on campus prompted them to leave immediately, because they did not want to be stuck on the premises. 

“We couldn’t use the main gate to exit, so we walked to either the north gate or the south gate, depending on which was closer to our faculties,” fifth-year engineering student Hassan Shawabkeh told The Jordan Times. 

Several other universities across the Kingdom, such as Princess Sumaya University for Technology and Jordan University of Science and Technology, cancelled classes and postponed exams for safety reasons.