His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday directed the government to examine the needs of the Zarqa governorate and coordinate with its consultative council to formulate an action plan that reflects the governorate's priorities and available resources.

During a visit to Zarqa, where he heard community concerns from the governorate's consultative council, King Abdullah addressed the importance of working transparently and with a sense of continuity and team spirit in order to enhance the quality of services provided in the governorate and ensure that citizens have the best possible services.

The King noted during the meeting that talks with the members of the council will be continued through the Royal Court and the government to develop a plan for the implementation of projects on the basis of clear priorities.

Also during the visit, King Abdullah inaugurated a high school project and an urban village valued at around JD6.25 million and designed to benefit the surrounding neighbourhood, inhabited by more than 200,000 people.

King Abdullah toured the two projects and directed the government to redraw the architectural plans of the urban village in order to include enhancement of its facilities and provide better services to the local community.

The five-storey school comprises 20 classrooms, two science labs, two Internet-serviced computer labs, and a mobile lab of 16 laptops that offers its services to the local community, particularly people with special needs, according to the school's principal, Mousa Dhmour.

“A total of 825 students are receiving education in the school, which has an educational staff of 39 teachers and eight administrative workers. The school is a qualitative leap in the governorate's education system due to the fact that it has advanced teaching techniques,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Zawahreh, supervisor of the urban village, said the area was in desperate need of a facility where citizens can spend their free time.

Following the inauguration, the King met with the members of the governorate's consultative council and was briefed on the area's needs. He stressed the importance of open channels, transparency and cooperation among all concerned parties in order to produce the best achievements and enhance the services provided to the public.

“I came here today to hear your demands,” he said. “Over the coming couple of weeks we will sit with the government and discuss your requests to see how we can implement them according to their priorities.”

He added that although the economic conditions this year are difficult, some community requests will be fulfilled.

Most requests focused on the need to address the problem of environmental pollution through the rehabilitation of the Zarqa River and the phosphate hills in Ruseifa, as well as the establishment of an industrial wastewater treatment plant. The need for new schools and repairs to existing ones to reduce the double-shift system and the issue of leased school buildings were all high on the list of concerns.

“Zarqa is the second most densely populated city in the Kingdom after Amman and home to 20 per cent of the Kingdom's population, but has not received enough attention from previous governments,” said Zarqa Mayor Mohammad Ghweiri.

Meanwhile, a consultative council member, Mustafa Fayyad, highlighted the area's needs in the fields of education and health, saying that the population density calls for more health centres.

In addition, he said, Zarqa suffers from a shortage of schools, meaning that many students have to walk long distances to school in cold weather and sometimes do not reach home before nightfall.

With regards to the refugee camps located on the outskirts of the city, council member Mohammad Hjooj said one of these camps lacks a proper sewer system and the people there still use cesspools, which pollute the environment and contaminate groundwater.

Prime Minister Samir Rifai, who accompanied the King on the tour, said the government has allocated funds in this year's budget to implement several projects in Zarqa that will have a positive impact on the area and enhance the public's living conditions.

“This year, three schools will be built in Zarqa as part of a total of 68 which will be built over the coming few years in order to address the challenges facing the education sector in the area,” the premier said, adding that a new hospital, which is being built on the orders of the King, will be ready by the end of 2011.