In Jordan's Ancient Petra, Sirens Warn of Flash Floods

n this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, tourists point at the Treasury, Jordan's most famous archaeological monument leftover from the Nabatean civilization in the kingdom's Petra archaeological park, southern Jordan. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File)
n this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, tourists point at the Treasury, Jordan's most famous archaeological monument leftover from the Nabatean civilization in the kingdom's Petra archaeological park, southern Jordan. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File)
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In Jordan's Ancient Petra, Sirens Warn of Flash Floods

n this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, tourists point at the Treasury, Jordan's most famous archaeological monument leftover from the Nabatean civilization in the kingdom's Petra archaeological park, southern Jordan. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File)
n this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, tourists point at the Treasury, Jordan's most famous archaeological monument leftover from the Nabatean civilization in the kingdom's Petra archaeological park, southern Jordan. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File)

In ancient times, Arab tribesmen dug diversion tunnels to protect their low-lying trading post of Petra against desert flash floods. More than two millennia later, an alarm system warns visitors if flood water rushes toward what has become Jordan's main tourist attraction.

Earlier this month, the alarms were activated for the first time, said Hussein al-Hasanat of the Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority. Sirens blared minutes before a torrent fed by heavy rains approached the UNESCO World Heritage site carved into rose-hued rock face.

Hundreds of tourists were able to seek higher ground and were later evacuated, he said.

Amateur video posted online at the time showed visitors running through a steep, narrow canyon leading to the Treasury, Petra's main draw, as guides urged them to hurry. Later, visitors were seen standing on a higher patch near the Treasury as knee-high water poured through the canyon.

Elsewhere in Jordan, such alarms are still missing. Thirty-four people were killed in flash floods in late September and early November.

The last fatal flash flood struck Petra in 1963 when 22 French tourists and a local guide were killed by rapidly rising waters. In response, Jordan's Department of Antiquities built a dam to keep water from entering the canyon leading to the Treasury.

In 2014, the alarm system was installed as added protection, with sirens set to go off when flood water rises above a certain level.

On Nov. 9, the system was triggered for the first time, through a computer in the Petra Authority's control room. The computer is connected to eight rain forecast systems and two water detection stations placed in the area, within 8 kilometers of Petra.

The network generates instant data allowing officials to measure possible danger and warn people by the time the water reaches Petra.

Omar Dajani, a meteorologist at the Arabia Weather company, said alarms should be installed in all vulnerable areas in Jordan.

He said urban sprawl has exacerbated the flood risk, which is particularly high in dry areas.

"Now towns have spread so much and many of them were not built with respect for the geography of the region, such as valleys for example, where the water has naturally caused floods for millions of years," Dajani said.



Mounting Tensions in Iraqi Kurdistan Over Delayed Salaries

Street vendors near the Grand Sulaymaniya Mosque (AFP)
Street vendors near the Grand Sulaymaniya Mosque (AFP)
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Mounting Tensions in Iraqi Kurdistan Over Delayed Salaries

Street vendors near the Grand Sulaymaniya Mosque (AFP)
Street vendors near the Grand Sulaymaniya Mosque (AFP)

Public frustration is surging across Sulaymaniyah province in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, as government employees face their second consecutive month without pay. The delays have deepened economic hardship and triggered a slowdown in local markets.

Calls for mass protests intensified in recent days as salaries have remained unpaid since May. With June nearing its end, authorities have yet to announce when workers will receive their wages. Demonstrations planned for Thursday were ultimately stifled by heavy security deployments.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that security forces detained numerous activists and teachers demanding their salaries, along with journalists attempting to cover the protests.

The Metro Center for the Defense of Journalists’ Rights condemned the wave of arrests. Its coordinator, Rahman Gharib, said that security forces apprehended activists, politicians, and reporters on Wednesday and Thursday merely for planning to participate in demonstrations expressing legitimate demands for fair pay and dignified living conditions.

Since 2015, public employees in Kurdistan have repeatedly faced salary delays, the result of deep-rooted financial disputes between Baghdad and the regional government in Erbil.

Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced Wednesday that the federal government would send a delegation within two days to resolve the crisis. He stressed that employees’ wages should be kept separate from political disagreements between Baghdad and Erbil.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami ordered the suspension of funding for Kurdistan’s salaries and other entitlements, citing the region’s alleged breach of its 12.67 percent budget share. The Kurdish government has since appealed to the international community to help end the deadlock.

Amid the salary crisis, Kurdistan’s Labor Minister Kwestan Muhammad warned of a surge in drug abuse and trafficking across the region. Speaking Thursday at an event marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse, she said Kurdistan had once been nearly free of narcotics, but has now become a key corridor for smuggling drugs, especially toward Canada, via cross-border networks.

She revealed that last month alone, authorities detained 5,746 people on criminal charges, with 1,576 arrests linked to drug offenses. Among them were 1,486 men and 81 women, highlighting how deeply the problem has spread in society.

The region’s security services also disclosed that in the first half of this year, 520 suspects were arrested in drug-related cases, including 243 users and others accused of trafficking.