(MENAFN - Jordan Times) An ongoing influx of thousands of Syrians into Jordan is prompting authorities to open makeshift 'holding facilities' for the growing refugee community in the border region.
Local NGOs and officials say they are set to complete later this month a complex of 200 furnished trailers in Ramtha's King Abdullah Gardens designed to house some 1,000 refugees.
The facility, funded by Al Kitab and Sunna Society, aims to house the growing number of new arrivals, which local charitable societies say have surpassed 500 per day.
"The situation has been worsening each day and we have taken it upon ourselves to help authorities provide Syrians with dignified living situations," said Ziyad Hamad, head of the charitable organisation.
The housing complex will be the third in the northern city, following the transfer of some 400 refugees to a makeshift camp at the northern city's Prince Hashem Sports City stadium late last week.
The housing centres aim to relieve the burden on Jordan's main holding facility at Al Bashabsheh housing complex, a military-guarded compound in the northern city of Ramtha comprising five apartment buildings that currently house over 2,000 Syrians.
Despite following an open-border policy, Jordanian authorities transfer all Syrians entering the Kingdom illegally to the housing complex to run extensive background checks out of fears of attempts by agents of the Syrian regime to infiltrate the Kingdom.
Last week, the authorities foiled an attempt by a Syrian national to poison Al Bashabsheh complex's water supply, the latest in a string of arrests of suspected Syrian "spies".
As part of security procedures, Syrians must make the complex their temporary home until a Jordanian citizen signs a JD10,000 financial guarantee taking legal responsibility for their activities during their stay in the Kingdom.
While the process proved to be a swift procedure for refugees hailing from Daraa due to the presence of Jordanian relatives and in-laws living in Ramtha, relief workers say new arrivals from Homs, Idlib and the Damascus countryside face obstacles in locating Jordanians to vouch for their activities, leading to extended stays and an added stress on limited housing.
"The number of Syrians keeps rising while the number of Jordanians willing to make the commitment is dropping," said Muath Khatib of the Ramtha branch of the Islamic Charity Centre Society.
Syrians recently released from Al Bashabsheh allege "difficult" living conditions in the housing complex, which they say has limited health services and unsanitary living spaces.
"Dozens of people are sleeping in crowded rooms, stairways and even outside," said Mohammad, a Syrian refugee who left the centre last week.
"You can't walk one metre without stepping on a Syrian," Mohammad, who only gave his first name for security concerns, added.
According to an official source, the government is currently studying opening additional holding centres which are to serve as a substitute for refugee camps.
The efforts to expand the number of holding facilities comes amidst an ongoing refugee exodus into the Kingdom in spite of a UN-brokered ceasefire imposed last Thursday, which included the entry of 3,000 Syrians in a 48-hour period.
Despite the rise in the number of Syrians fleeing to Jordan, which according to officials has surpassed 100,000, Amman has resisted opening refugee camps out of fears of Damascus misinterpreting humanitarian support as support for revolutionaries.
Authorities prepare camps to confront Syrian refugee 'overflow'
The housing centres aim to relieve the burden on Jordan's main holding facility at Al Bashabsheh housing complex, a military-guarded compound in the northern city of Ramtha comprising five apartment buildings that currently house over 2,000 Syrians.
Despite following an open-border policy, Jordanian authorities transfer all Syrians entering the Kingdom illegally to the housing complex to run extensive background checks out of fears of attempts by agents of the Syrian regime to infiltrate the Kingdom.
Last week, the authorities foiled an attempt by a Syrian national to poison Al Bashabsheh complex's water supply, the latest in a string of arrests of suspected Syrian "spies".
As part of security procedures, Syrians must make the complex their temporary home until a Jordanian citizen signs a JD10,000 financial guarantee taking legal responsibility for their activities during their stay in the Kingdom.
While the process proved to be a swift procedure for refugees hailing from Daraa due to the presence of Jordanian relatives and in-laws living in Ramtha, relief workers say new arrivals from Homs, Idlib and the Damascus countryside face obstacles in locating Jordanians to vouch for their activities, leading to extended stays and an added stress on limited housing.
"The number of Syrians keeps rising while the number of Jordanians willing to make the commitment is dropping," said Muath Khatib of the Ramtha branch of the Islamic Charity Centre Society.
Syrians recently released from Al Bashabsheh allege "difficult" living conditions in the housing complex, which they say has limited health services and unsanitary living spaces.
"Dozens of people are sleeping in crowded rooms, stairways and even outside," said Mohammad, a Syrian refugee who left the centre last week.
"You can't walk one metre without stepping on a Syrian," Mohammad, who only gave his first name for security concerns, added.
According to an official source, the government is currently studying opening additional holding centres which are to serve as a substitute for refugee camps.
The efforts to expand the number of holding facilities comes amidst an ongoing refugee exodus into the Kingdom in spite a UN-brokered ceasefire imposed last Thursday, which included the entry of 3,000 Syrians in a 48-hour period.
Despite the rise in the number of Syrians fleeing to Jordan, which according to officials has surpassed 100,000, Amman has resisted opening refugee camps out of fears of Damascus misinterpreting humanitarian support as support for revolutionaries.
