2,591 environmental violations registered this year
Jordan Times
July 7, 2007
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN — A total of 2,591 environmental violations have been registered since the beginning of 2007, including littering, cutting trees, gas emissions and violations of public health safety, according to the Environment Ministry.
The bulk of these were gas emissions from vehicles, with a total of 933
vehicles found in violation of environmental regulation, ministry spokesperson Isa Shboul
told The Jordan Times.
The rest were polluting water resources, illegal dumping of wastewater and
disregard of public health safety measures by some restaurants, which were
either given warnings or shut down, Shboul added.
Ten industrial and agricultural facilities, as well as quarries, were shut
down since the beginning of the year in Amman, Zarqa and Irbid following complaints
filed by residents from these governorates, he said.
Meanwhile, a Public Security Department helicopter has started inspecting
industrial facilities in environmental hot spots in the country to help the
environmental police monitor violations, according to Shboul.
“The helicopter will fly over hot spots in Ajloun, Sahab, the Jordan Valley
and Zarqa, which is home to more than 50 per cent of the country’s industrial
facilities. It will monitor emissions from these facilities and littering
and report these violations to the environmental police,” said the official.
The helicopter will fly over these areas three times a month, according to
Shboul.