Environment
We had a peaceful night’s sleep at the Azraq Lodge. The Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature has renovated this lodge. It was a former British military hospital during the 1940s. Nearby is Azraq Wetlands Reserve which was sucked dry due to over-pumping in the 70s and 80s. The water was needed for the population of Amman. It is a shock to see how arid this wetland has become and to see the photographic evidence of how it once was. Nowadays, new pipelines from Diseh ( Wadi Rum) flow to Amman and this has eased the pressure on the wetland springs. Additionally, 1.5 cu metres of fresh water is now being pumped back into the wetlands every year. However, even with all this effort the process will only restore 10% of the wetlands to its former glory. Worse still is the fact that 500 illegal, deep wells are still operating in this area! Jordan has a chronic lack of water and this is only going to bring further problems in the future for the citizens, the wildlife and the natural environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment