Voters hope would-be candidates for the Lower House will address the Zarqa River’s persistent dangers to the environment (File photo)

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - Although environmental issues have been absent from candidates' agendas in past elections, experts and concerned citizens hope that a more environmentally conscious group of deputies would emerge from November's parliamentary vote.

The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) Director General Yehya Khaled attributed the absence of environmental issues from candidates' campaign platforms to the fact that most Jordanians do not see them as priorities.

"Are environmental issues a priority for the Jordanian community? The answer is no, not yet," Khaled told The Jordan Times.

"For example, during meetings to determine a candidate's agenda based on the local community's demands, you would hear requests for building a school or a health centre, not issues related to the environment," the environmentalist said.

He expressed optimism, however, that the situation may be changing, noting that environmental issues are being raised at least at the local level in Fuheis, Zarqa and other areas where environmental problems affect people's daily lives.

"For instance, in Zarqa, which suffers from pollution, environmental issues are a concern for people and a main priority," he noted.

Zarqa Governorate, 32 kilometres east of Amman, is home to 52 per cent of the Kingdom’s industrial plants and has a reputation for being one of the country’s environmental black spots.

The severely polluted Zarqa River, which emits foul odours during summer and attracts insects and rodents because of sewage and dumped waste, as well as the oil refinery in Al Hashemiyeh are among Zarqa residents' most pressing environmental problems.

Mohammad Habboob (Abu Kamal), a resident of Zarqa refugee camp, said every candidate running for election in Zarqa over the past years has vowed to address the governorate's main environmental concerns, but the area has little to show for it.

“They promise to put an end to our problem with the Zarqa River, the insects and bad odours emitting from the water stream. We respond and vote for them, but when the time comes to fulfil what they promised, they back down,” Abu Kamal said.

The polluted Zarqa River is not Abu Kamal’s only concern. The waste piling up in the refugee camp’s streets is another problem he is looking for someone to address.

“There are 13 streets in the refugee camp and there should be 20 street cleaners. In reality, there are only three. The [would-be] candidate I’m going to vote for later this year has promised to organise weekly clean-up campaigns in the camp,” he told The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Hassan (Abu Mohammad), a resident of Hashemiyeh in Zarqa, believes that it is difficult for a candidate to win people’s attention if he or she doesn’t include Zarqa’s environmental concerns as part of his platform.

“Over the years, we became fed up with their promises. members of Parliament come and go, but the pollution in the river and the polluted air in Zarqa remain the same,” Abu Mohammad said.

Jordan Environment Society Executive Director Ahmad Kofahi noted that most people, including candidates for Parliament, view environmental preservation as merely a matter of protecting trees or refraining from littering, while it is in fact part of the broader concept of sustainable development.

“Candidates must understand the concept of sustainable development and its role in not only protecting natural resources, but also improving the social and economic conditions of local communities,” Kofahi said.

The environmentalist underscored the importance of raising candidates’ awareness of sustainable development, and fighting the misconception that supporting the environment means opposing growth and investment.

“When candidates become aware of the benefits of sustainable development, only then can they raise it as part of their agendas and actually push for it when they get elected,” Kofahi noted.

The expert also stressed that dealing with environmental issues is no longer a luxury.

“Environmental preservation is imposing itself whether we like it or not. Climate change is impacting everyone’s lives and affecting their way of life; it is also impacting public health.”

Hussein Khozahi, associate professor in sociology at Balqa Applied Sciences University, said political motives and a legacy of environmental negligence are the reasons why candidates for Parliament refrain from making environmental issues and challenges part of their agendas.

“The goal of every candidate is to draw the biggest crowd with their agendas, which normally seek to move people’s feelings or call for better services of which the public is in need,” Khozahi told The Jordan Times.

“Do you really think people will pay much attention to someone who vows to stop illegal logging compared to someone pushing for health or educational reform?” he questioned.

The sociologist also said there is a lack of awareness about environmental issues, which he blamed on weak environmental programmes whether by the government, schools or universities.

“We are in dire need of programmes that help protect nature from further destruction and stop pollution to ensure the safety of public health,” Khozahi remarked.

When it comes to protecting the environment, he added: “We need bold people who defy wrong and outdated social conventions.” Khaled, the RSCN chief, agreed.

“We need parliamentarians who consider all issues from an environmental perspective just as they consider them from a social or economic perspective,” Khaled said, expressing hope that Parliament will soon see a green party pushing for environmentally sustainable policies.

Even if environmental issues find their way into candidates’ talking points, for citizens like Ghada Makhamreh, this is not enough. Words must be translated into actions, she said.

A resident of Fuheis, a small town of 25,000 residents situated 10 kilometres west of Amman, Makhamreh believes that there is plenty of focus on environmental problems among candidates in her area, but not enough implementation on the ground.

Fuheis is rich with olive trees and known for its pleasant weather, but also hosts a cement factory that residents blame for causing numerous health problems by emitting clouds of dust and chemicals.

“There is focus on environmental problems and issues in candidates’ agendas in my opinion, but so much has been done and so many demonstrations were organised in the past, and it was all in vain, there is no change,” Makhamreh said.