Jordan Times
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Two water, energy
efficient parks open
By Sarah Ryan
IRBID/MAFRAQ — Two model community parks in
Mansoura and Al Zatari demonstrating water and energy efficiency in action were
opened by HRH Princess Basma during a ceremonial launch yesterday.
“Preserving water resources is a national priority that necessitates cooperation
and true partnership between the various local and international authorities,
especially that the Kingdom is rated as one of the poorest countries in water
resources,” the Princess said.
“When people think of parks, they usually imagine green lawns and lush trees all
requiring a lot of water. Today we are providing a new image, an image that
portrays the beauty of nature but in a manner suitable to Jordan's climate, said
Ann Aarnes, mission director of United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), which provided funding for the project.
The water and energy conserving techniques used in the parks included
rainwater-harvesting cisterns, a bird drinking pond, wooden structures that
provide shade, benches, water saving devices, an irrigation system, solar lamps
and a solar hot water heating system.
“As we are all aware, Jordan's water scarce resources make implementing the
principles and practices of water conserving landscapes of great importance.
However, such principles are not widespread in Jordan,” noted Fayez Bataineh,
assistant secretary general of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
Each of the parks is quite different from the other. The Mansoura Natural Park
in Irbid, rehabilitated in collaboration with Khalid Ben Al Walid Municipality
and the Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), is designed as a
natural park — the terrain, plants and natural features of the hillside were
left untouched. The park, the first of its kind in the Middle East, features
placards with descriptions of the plants that are scattered throughout the area.
An interpretation centre provides further information on the history, geology,
geography, as well as social and cultural features of the site and surrounding
region.
Al Zatari Park in Mafraq was built from the ground, turning from an empty plot
of barren land into a garden featuring drought-resistant plants and paths built
of stone, which reduce the amount of water needed for vegetation.
“You can have a beautiful garden but still save water, which is good for your
country and good for you,” noted Hala Dahlan, senior technical specialist at the
Water Efficiency and Public Information for Action Programme (WEPIA), which
implemented the project.
A third model park has already been constructed in East Shegera and another
model park will be completed near Amman's National Gallery in February 2005.