MADABA -- Approximately 25km south of Madaba, a moderate expansion of desert covers the slightly elevated terrain, creating a familiar landscape that surrounds one of the most beautiful locations in the Kingdom.
Amid this landscape lies what used to be the pristine valley of Wadi Himara, adorned by one of the Kingdom's most spectacular waterfalls, rising to 80 metres in height.
But according to Yamaan Safady, a tour guide at Adventure Jordan, the area has been devastated by construction waste resulting from a newly built 2km highway connecting Madaba with the Dead Sea hotels.
"The canyon was in a remote area with one bedouin tent located right at its beginning, until a decision was made to construct the highway down to the Dead Sea coming right over the canyon," Safady told The Jordan Times.
The construction of the highway was awarded to the Italian company Condotte as part of a Japanese-funded project initiated by the Ministry of Tourism called Dead Sea Panorama.
"I used to see the water coming down as I drove by the Dead Sea highway," said Safady, "but after they finished constructing the highway, the water was no longer visible."
According to Charles Twal, who works at the Mariam Hotel in Madaba and visits Wadi Himara frequently, the canyon is now full of discarded cement which had been dumped into the water.
"The site is devastated," said Twal. "This area was one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in the country. Waste has clogged the water supply and there are pumps draining off the remaining water running through the canyon."
"These pumps are a mystery, and I wonder why nobody is asking questions about them," added Safady.
General Manager of the Jordanian Condotte office in Jordan Ernesto Guirrieri said the company is aware of these incidents and has already begun a programme aimed at minimising the damage to the area.
"It is impossible to be 100 per cent environmentally safe when you are constructing a giant highway over a natural landscape," said Guirrieri. "Having completed the project, our workers are now doing what they can to remove any waste dumped into the canyons."
Guirrieri confirmed that the pumps in question were in fact used by Condotte to provide sufficient water for the project.
"When water is needed at such a remote location there is no other choice but to utilise the available natural sources," said Guirrieri. "However, we always made sure there was an overflow to the Wadi so as not to compromise the water levels."
But Safady disagrees. "There was never an overflow to the Wadi and much of the water was lost. Plus there were two pumps extracting water, one used for the construction and the other had some mysterious purpose."
Pierre Voignier, a French hiker and canoeing guide working in Jordan said this situation is not confined to Wadi Himara, but also prevalent in other areas.
"After seeing the waste in Wadi Himara we decided to continue to Wadi Manshala, a nearby area which is supposed to carry water as well, but there was none at the outlet, and an exactly identical heap of trash was clogging the ravine," said Voignier.
Despite Condotte's assurance that the area is being restored, recent visitors of the area report no significant changes.
"I visited the area two weeks ago," said Voignier, "and while the water level has slightly increased there is still a lot of waste."
Safady said the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), together with the ministries of tourism and environment have been informed about the situation but that no action has yet been taken.
"I have notified all the proper authorities and so far I have seen no action," said Safadi.
Khalid Masry, from the public relations office at RSCN, said that "in such circumstances legal action should be taken" to make sure the Kingdom's natural sites are preserved.
"I think it's a big disaster," said Voignier, "and I feel a big shame for a country wishing to make eco-tourism a cornerstone of its tourism economy."
By Jafar Irshaidat
© Jordan Times 2005
