JORDAN: New study could lead to a cleaner city of Zarqa

Photo: Mohammad Ben Hussein/IRIN

Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental pollution

AMMAN, 21 August 2008 (IRIN) - A team of local and international environmentalists is to conduct a six-month study of the polluted channel (known as `Saeil'), which cuts through the city of Zarka, according to Environment Ministry officials.

The study, to be conducted by a team of local and international experts, is funded by the Spanish government and other donors, including the European Union. It is due to start in September and will evaluate the various sources of pollution and recommend the best solutions, according to Essa Shboul, an Environment Ministry spokesman.

Shboul said the 6-km-long polluted channel was hampering economic progress by hindering development projects.

The channel also poses a serious health risk to local residents: henceforth there would be zero tolerance of toxic material discharges from local factories.

The eastern city, with a population of 1.2 million, is home to up to 52 percent of Jordan's industrial plants, according to the Environment Ministry, and has a reputation as an environmental black spot.

No studies have been conducted on the channel's effect on residents' health, but officials from local hospitals say residents, particularly children, often complain of stomach problems.

Interactive map of Jordan highlighting Zarqa city

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Effluent from chemical and other factories, the Ain Ghazal sewage facility, car wash stations, broken drains and the Greater Amman Municipality slaughterhouse, has been blamed for the growing pollution problem.

Sewage

"We have a serious problem from the sewerage system in Abu Nusseir area: effluent seeps into the channel and affects agricultural land that produces some of the city's needs," said Mayor Mohammed Ghweiri.

There have been increasing complaints about the stench, which becomes particularly bad in the summer months. Ghwieri told IRIN the authorities were considering a US$15 million project to cover over the channel to curb the foul smells and improve the lives of local people.

The government is also contemplating building a water treatment plant close to the channel to treat industrial effluent from nearby industries, said Shboul.

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