Ministry launches 'war against Jordan Valley flies'

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - Authorities will start distributing 40,000 flytraps in the Jordan Valley this week as part of a wider campaign to curb the growing nuisance domestic flies pose to area residents and tourists alike.

Under a national campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment on Sunday, authorities will employ environment-friendly methods such as installing traps and planting aromatic trees and plants to drive away the insects, which pose health and environmental hazards.

The comprehensive campaign will also target areas considered as fly hotspots such as landfills and farms, according to the ministry.

Minister of Environment Nasser Shraideh said the campaign will be a collective effort of the Jordan Valley Authority and the ministries of agriculture, municipal affairs, tourism and health.

“Coordinated efforts amongst concerned authorities is vital in order to curb the spread of domestic flies in the Jordan Valley, which is an important area for agricultural produce, tourism, investment and archaeology,” he said in a statement issued by the ministry yesterday.

As part of its battle against Jordan Valley flies, authorities will spray pesticides in the Zara area near the shores of the Dead Sea as well as landfills and barns, Shraideh said.

Officials will also establish a solid and liquid waste treatment plant in Southern Shuneh as part of the campaign, according to Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Isa Shboul.

“The growth in unlicensed landfills in the Jordan Valley is aggravating the situation and attracting more flies. Establishing a treatment plant to properly process waste will help address the problem,” Shboul told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday, adding that the waste treatment plant is expected to be built in 2011.

The campaign is not the first effort by the Environment Ministry to curb the number of domestic flies. In August 2009, the ministry instituted a crackdown on the use of organic fertilizers in the Jordan Valley while in 2008, major poultry and livestock farms were required to establish treatment plants to sterilize animal waste generated by their facilities to tackle the problem of domestic flies.

Jordan Valley farmers have long used untreated organic fertilizers, which attract domestic flies due to their high percentage of humidity.

No longer exclusively for agriculture, hotels, villas and apartments are being developed in the area, a growing luxury tourism destination, necessitating a quick solution to the problem, officials say.

27 December 2010

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32940.