Rains bring flood havoc, drought relief
2013-01-08 18:48
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Amman - Torrential rains swept through desert Jordan for
a second straight day on Tuesday, sparking widespread flooding and traffic
chaos but bringing welcome water to reservoirs in one of the world's 10 driest
countries.
The main road between Amman and the northern city of
Zarqa was closed as sections were swamped by up to a metre of water.
"Motorists should be advised that more flooding is
expected as more rain and snow are coming to Jordan," police spokesperson Mohammad
Khatib told AFP.
In the capital, flash floods overwhelmed a drainage
system not designed to handle the volume of water and most traffic underpasses
and tunnels were closed.
The city council and water utility traded blame for the
resulting traffic gridlock, while the government came in for press criticism.
"Instead of bragging how Amman is one of the most
beautiful cities in the Arab world, the government should fix the capital's
streets and drainage system first," wrote columnist Ibrahim Khreisat on
the website of the independent Al-Arab Al-Yawm daily.
But in a kingdom, which is 92% desert and suffers a
chronic shortage of water, the rains added 62 million cubic metres to
reservoirs in just 48 hours, the Jordan Valley Authority said.
And amid the disruption at least some Jordanians were
willing to see the humorous side.
"Thank God, finally I have a house by the sea,"
one Amman resident wrote on Facebook.
