Analysis of Cost Deviations in Road Construction Activities: A Case Study from Palestine.

This study investigates the statistical relationship between actual and estimated cost of road construction activities. It is based on a sample of 100 road construction projects awarded in the West Bank in Palestine over the years 2004 - 2008. Based on this data, regression models were developed. The investigated construction activities in this study are earthworks, base works, asphalt works and furniture works. The findings reveal that the average cost deviation in the investigated activities is as follows: earthworks= -15.7%, base works = 12.9%, asphalt works = 18.5% and furniture works = 36.4%. The relationship between cost divergence of each investigated activity and physical project characteristics (i.e. project size, terrain condition, ground condition and soil quality) is discussed

Common risks affecting time overrun in road construction projects in Palestine: Contractors’ perspective

The construction sector is one of the key economic sectors and is the main force motivating the Palestinian national economy. However, it suffers from number of problems that affect time, cost and quality performances. This study aims at identifying the common risks affecting time overrun in road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine from contractors’ viewpoint. 45 factors that might cause delays of road construction projects were defined through a detailed literature review. A questionnaire survey was performed to rank the considered factors in terms of severity and frequency. The analysis of the survey indicated that the top risks affecting time overrun in road construction projects in Palestine are: financial status of the contractors, payments delay by the owner, political situation, segmentation of the West Bank, poor communication between construction parties, lack of equipment efficiency, and high competition in bids

Integration of Water Resources of the Upper Aquifer in Amman-Zarqa Basin Based on Mathematical Modeling and GIS, Jordan

Die geologischen, hydrogeologischen, hydrologischen, hydrochemischen und die Umweltaspekte des Amman-Zarqa Beckens wurden untersucht und erforscht. Es wurde ein geologisches Konzeptmodell und darauf aufbauend ein Grundwasser Strömungsmodell erstellt und kalibriert. Das Amman-Zarqa Becken umfasst ein Gebiet von ungefähr 3900 km², wovon 89% auf jordanischem Territorium liegen und 11% auf syrischem Staatsgebiet. Dieses Becken gilt als eines der bedeutendsten in Jordanien wegen seiner verbindenden Lage zwischen Bergland und Wüste und weil mehr als 60% der jordanischen Bevölkerung darin leben. Die Hauptziele dieser Untersuchung sind die Berechnung des Oberflächen- und des Grundwasserhaushalts, die Vorhersage von Reaktionen des Aquifers auf Grundwasserentnahmen, die Ermittlung der möglichen Entnahme und die Bestimmung von Herkunft und Art der Grundwasserverunreinigungen. Es sollen Lösungen für die gegenwärtigen Schwierigkeiten mit dem verfügbaren Grundwasser im Hinblick auf Menge und Qualität vorgeschlagen sowie Alternativen für eine bessere Bewirtschaftung des Wassers aufgezeigt werden. Die ausstreichenden Formationen im Untersuchungsgebiet reichen von der Unterkreide bis in die Neuzeit. Von diesen wurden Strukturkarten erstellt und auf dieser Basis ein dreidimensionales geologisches Modell aufgebaut. Drei Hauptstrukturen lassen sich im Untersuchungsgebiet unterscheiden, die Ammaner Mulde, die Zarqa-Störung und die Ramtha-Wadi Sirhan-Störung. Aus dem Oberirdischen-Wasserhaushalt ergab sich eine jährliche Grundwasserneubildung zwischen 22,4 mio m³ für normale Jahre und 60,4 mio m³ für niederschlagsreiche Jahre. Um den höchsten monatlichen Abfluss während eines Jahres zu finden, der für den Entwurf von Schutzeinrichtungen (z.B. Deiche) berücksichtigt werden muss, wurden Abflussdaten von mehr als 30 Jahren mit einer Frequenzanalyse untersucht. Es ergab sich ein höchster Wert von 51 mio m³. Der Hauptaquifer des Untersuchungsgebietes wird von Basaltdecken gebildet, unter denen eine carbonatische Abfolge der Amman- und Wadi As Sir Formationen liegt (B2/A7). Zusätzlich wurde der tiefere Aquifer (Kurnub Aquifer) betrachtet, um die Versickerung nach unten (Leakage) festzustellen. Pumpversuche ergaben für den Basalt eine Transmissivität von 4,3 bis 29700 m²/Tag, im Mittel 7000 m²/Tag. Die entsprechende mittlere Durchlässigkeit beträgt 20 m/Tag. Die Transmissivität des B2/A7-Aquifers variiert von 4,7 bis 2200 m²/Tag, im Mittel 467 m²/Tag. Die entsprechende mittlere Durchlässigkeit beträgt 7 m/Tag. Der obere Aquifer hat eine freie Grundwasseroberfläche. Die Haupt-Fließrichtungen verlaufen von Südwesten und Nordosten in die entfernten Teile des Nordwestens und die zentralen Gebiete (Seil el Zarqua) des Beckens. Statistische Auswertungen erlauben eine Einteilung der Grundwasseranalysen in drei Gruppen. Gruppe 1 gilt für die Brunnenfelder zwischen Amman und Ruseifa. Für diese Gruppe sind eine niedrige Salinität und hohe Nitrat-Konzentration typisch. Gruppe 2 wird durch mäßige Salinität und niedrige Nitrat-Konzentration gekennzeichnet. Diese Gruppe umfasst die Analysen aus den Brunnenfeldern zwischen Ruseifa und Zarqua sowie aus den Brunnen im fernen Nordosten des Untersuchungsgebietes. Für die Analysen der Gruppe 3 sind hohe Salinität und mäßige Nitrat-Konzentration charakteristisch. Die Gruppe umfasst die meisten Brunnenfelder in der Nähe der Gebiete Khaldiya und Dhuleil. Um die Haupteinflussfaktoren bei den Wasseranalysen herauszufinden, wurde eine Faktorenanalyse durchgeführt. Die Auswertung nach der Varimax Rotations Methode ergab die drei Faktoren Salinität, Kontamination und Carbonat. Mit dem dreidimensionalen Grundwasser-Strömungsmodell wurden die Kennwerte des Aquifers kalibriert und der Grundwasserhaushalt untersucht. Die Haushaltsbetrachtungen ergaben folgende Mengen: 61,8 mio m³/Jahr Zufluss in den oberen Aquifer als Grundwasserabfluss vom Jabal Al Arab durch den Basalt und 45,5 mio m³ Grundwasser-Neubildung aus Niederschlägen. 66 mio m³/Jahr fließen aus dem oberen Aquifer über die Gebietsgrenze in's Azraq Becken und 3,4 mio m³/Jahr in's Yarmouk Becken. 26,8 mio m³ fließen als Grundwasserabstrom in den Zarqua-Fluss ab bzw. über natürliche Quellaustritte. Die Versickerung in den unteren Aquifer beträgt etwa 12,2 mio m³. Weiterhin wurden die künftigen Absenkungen als Folge fortgesetzter Grundwasser-Entnahme über die nächsten 20 Jahre berechnet. Bei fortgesetzter Entnahme im heutigen Umfang wird die Absenkung im Jahre 2025 mehr als 70 m erreichen. Das würde bedeuten, dass eine Reihe von Brunnen trocken fielen. Besonders die Brunnenfelder zwischen den Städten Khaliya und Um El Jumal wären betroffen. Wollte man die Grundwasserabsenkung etwa auf dem heutigen Stand halten, dürfte die optimale Grundwasserentnahme aus dem oberen Aquifer bei 60 mio m³ pro Jahr liegen.In this work, the geological, hydrogeological, hydrological, hydrochemical and environmental aspects of the most important groundwater basin in Jordan have been studied and investigated. In addition, geological and hydrogeological conceptual models were developed and a groundwater flow model was created, calibrated and evaluated. Amman-Zarqa Basin comprises an area of 3918 km2, with 89% located in Jordan and 11% inside the Syrian territory. This basin is considered one of the most important basins in Jordan because of its location (transitional area between high lands in the west and desert in the east) and more than 60% of the total population of Jordan live inside this basin. The main aims of this study were calculation of the surface and groundwater water budget, prediction the aquifer reactions due to groundwater withdrawal, determining the safe yield, specifying the source and the type of pollutants and proposing solutions and alternatives for the current problems of groundwater resources in terms of quantity and quality. The age of the outcropping formations in the study area ranges from Lower Cretaceous to recent age. Based on the structure contour maps, which were drawn, a three-dimensional geological model was built. Three main structures are distinguished in the study area: Amman Syncline, Zarqa-Fault and Ramtha-Wadi Sirhan Fault. Based on the surface water budget, the average annual direct recharge in the study area is between 22.4 and 60.4 *106 m3 for normal and wet hydrological years, respectively. To find the maximum monthly annual flood to be considered for the design of protection structures (such as dams) in Amman-Zarqa Basin, frequency analysis was done based on runoff data over more than 30 years. The recommended flood comes to 51 *106 m3. The main aquifer of the study area is formed by Basalt flows underlain by a carbonate rock sequence of the Amman and Wadi As Sir Formations (B2/A7). In addition, the lower aquifer (Kurnub aquifer) was considered in this study in order to determine the amount of leakage. Based on pumping tests analysis, the transmissivity of Basalt ranges from 4.3 to 29,700 m2/d, the average is about 7000 m2/d, corresponding to a mean permeability of 20 m/d. The transmissivity of B2/A7 aquifer varies between 4.7 and 2200 m2/d, the average is about 467 m2/d, corresponding to a mean permeability of 7 m/d. The upper aquifer is unconfined and the dominant direction of groundwater flow is from southwest and northeast to the far northwest, east and central parts (Seil el Zarqa) of the study area. Based on the statistical analysis, the hydrochemical data of the analyzed water samples can be divided into three groups. Group-1 represents the well fields between Amman and Ruseifa regions. This group characterizes low salinity and high concentration of NO3. Group-2 shows moderate salinity and low concentration of NO3. This group represents the well fields between Ruseifa and Zarqa regions as well as the far northeast well fields in the study area. Group-3 shows high salinity and moderate value of NO3. This group includes most of the well fields close to Khaldiya and Dhuleil regions. To find out the main factors of influence within the analyzed water samples, factor analysis was conducted. The method of interpretation was the Varimax rotation method. Three main factors of influence to groundwater were found. These factors are salinity, pollution and carbonate. A three-dimensional groundwater flow model was built and calibrated for steady state and time dependent in order to calculate the water budget, to calibrate the aquifer characteristics and to predict the aquifer response (drawdown) if the current abstraction would be continued over the next 20 years. The maximum accumulative drawdown will reach more than 70 m by the year of 2025. That means some wells will become completely dry by the year of 2025, particularly, the well fields between the towns of Khaldiya and Um El Jumal. According to the water budget, 61.8 *106 m3/yr flows into the upper aquifer as underflow from Jabal Al Arab through the Basalt and 45.5 *106 m3/yr as renewable recharge from excess rainfall. On contrast, 66 *106 m3/yr and 3.4 *106 m3/yr outflow as cross boundary from the upper aquifer into Azraq and Yarmouk Basins, respectively. Also, there is 26.8 *106 m3/yr as underflow towards Zarqa River and natural spring discharge. The leakage into the lower aquifer is about 12.2 *106 m3/yr. The optimal use of groundwater resources of the upper aquifer will be in the range of 60 *106 m3/yr.researc

Frequency of time overrun causes in road construction in Palestine: Contractors’ View

Time, cost and quality have their proven importance as the prime measures for project success. However, the history of the construction industry worldwide is full of projects that were completed with significant time and cost overruns. This study is conducted to investigate the occurrence frequency of time overrun causes in road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine from contractors’ viewpoint through a questionnaire survey. The field survey included 34 contractors. 52 factors affecting time overrun were identified during the research. The survey concluded that the top ten frequent factors are: segmentation of the West Bank and limited movement between areas, political situation, progress payments delay by owner, lack of equipment efficiency, difficulties in financing project by contractor, personal conflicts among labors, poor communication by consultant with other construction parties, conflict between contractor and other parties, award project to lowest bid price, unreasonable project time frame by the owner

Conceptual Cost Estimate of Road Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia

This study aims at developing regression models to predict the total construction cost of a road project in the early phases. The models were developed based on 52 sets of data collected in Saudi Arabia. The projects were implemented during 2011. The procedure used resulted in the formulation of 5 regression models; 2 of them include bid quantities of the major construction activities as independent variables and 3 include road length and road width as independent variables. The coefficient of determination (r2) of the developed models is ranging from 0.65 to 0.97. This indicates that the relationship between the dependent and independent variables of the developed models is good and the predicted values from a forecast model fit with the real-life data. The value of the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of the developed regression models is tested. It is ranging from 17% to 42%. The results compare favorably with past researches which have shown that the estimate accuracy in the early stages of a project is between ±25% and ±50%. Such types of models are very useful, especially in simplicity and ability to be handled by calculator or using a simple computer program. It has a good benefit in estimating project cost at early stages of the project, since the information needed could be extracted easily from sketches or scope definition of the projects

Understanding the practice of career guidance in the Palestinian community inside Israel: Concepts and challenges

Masters of CommerceThe practice of career guidance in the Palestinian community inside Israel is a relatively recent phenomenon which became prominent after the emergence of approximately 30 career guidance centres across the country. The development of career guidance in a context that is characterised by continuous social underdevelopment, injustice and discrimination raises many questions around the effectiveness of career guidance and its role in fighting unemployment as well as the extent to which career guidance services can deliver results on the ground – within the Palestinian community. In the twenty-first century, we need to consider the changing social structures and contexts in which career guidance is practiced (Arthur, Collins, McMahon & Marshall, 2009). Such challenging environment interferes with the practice and its deliverables making it more difficult for Palestinian practitioners. Hence, in the light of such challenges, there exists a great need to determine the effectiveness of the services by focusing on a number of areas such as; the types of career guidance interventions used; the kind of challenges Palestinian practitioners are faced with; the theoretical framework for career guidance; the future needs and skills of career guidance practitioners. To achieve these objectives, the study interviewed a sample consisting of (N=8) Palestinian career guidance practitioners, who were drawn using convenience and snowballing sampling, using a qualitative approach; semistructured interviews. The results showed that Palestinian career guidance practitioners understood the role and function of career guidance and used a wide range of useful interventions that correspond to those in international literature. However, they were critical of Holland-based assessment that was used considering it to be incompatible with the Arab community. Participants further reported that they were faced with a spectrum of challenges that are multi-faceted in nature and felt that the key to having effective career guidance with concrete outcomes, is by dealing with it on a policy level

Sejarah Maritim di Nusantara (Abad VII-XVI): Interkoneksi Kerajaan Sriwijaya, Majapahit, dan Demak

Archipelago, the main theme of this article, is a term for a region known as Southeast Asia today, especially the countries with similar historical events about ancient rulers, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and others. Thus, the writing of this article was directed at reviewing material related to the existence of rulers, especially those engaged in the maritime field in the archipelago, with a focus on discussion on three subjects, including Sriwijaya, Majapahit and Demak, and was selected on the basis of similarities in historical events. The method used was descriptive analysis through books and other written materials, such as journal articles and seminar proceedings. Then, a written description of the reading and an unwritten description of the material in the form of photos/pictures were added. Lastly, the analysis was carried out using the concept of “Total History” proposed by Fernand Braudel. In this concept, there were three historical facts in one period, namely events, conjuncture, and structure. The findings of this article explained the development of the three maritime rulers of the archipelago, including the Srivijaya Kingdom (VII-XIII centuries), Majapahit Kingdom (XIII-XV centuries), and Demak Kingdom (XV-XVI centuries), which referred to the concept as an internal event empire since its inception, heyday, and decline. In addition, the interconnection of the three kingdoms was the existence of the side of the descendants of the previous kings and the enthusiasm for building the civilization of the archipelago, which was passed on to the rulers afterward through strengthening in the maritime sector

Religious Plurality in the Madiun Residency After the Administrative Modernization of the 20th Century

This article aims to answer the question of how indigenous officials in the Madiun Residency responded to the attitude of the Dutch East Indies Government which was anti to religious issues, given its position as part of the administrative area of the Dutch East Indies Government formed after the Java War (1825-1830), in addition to controlling the colonies, there were also efforts to separate religion and government, thus making indigenous peoples struggled in carrying out their worship and religious activities until the end of the 19th century. Using historical methods and approaches to the sociology of religion, as well as reinforced by the Challenge and Response theory, which was initiated by Arnold Joseph Tonybee, the findings show that there was interference from the priyayi elite and peasants who urged the Dutch government to issue a policy of administrative modernization in the 20th century, which provided an opportunity for indigenous officials to hold certain posts in the government,  then the native officials responded again dengan gave a kind of flexibility in carrying out religious activities for every religious believer

KERAJAAN FUNAN (ABAD 1-6 M): SEJARAH, HEGEMONI DAN TRANSISI POLITIK BERDASARKAN CATATAN KENNETH R. HALL

Abstrak: Buku berjudul Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia, karya Kenneth R. Hall, yang diterbitkan oleh University of Hawai’i Press, tahun 2019, memberikan perspektif baru terhadap kajian sejarah maritim Asia Tenggara, khususnya periode awal masehi hingga abad keempat belas. Penulisan artikel ini bertujuan untuk meninjau salah satu tema penting dalam buku tersebut, yakni sejarah dan perkembangan Funan, sebagai kerajaan pertama di Asia Tenggara, yang berkuasa sejak abad pertama sampai keenam masehi, akan tetapi belum banyak kalangan akademisi ataupun sejarawan yang mengkaji secara mendalam terkait tema tersebut, selain oleh Bernard H.M. Vlekke (1943), George Cœdés (1964), M.C. Ricklefs, dkk. (2013), dan Abd. Rahman Hamid (2015). Melalui metode deskriptif-analisis, artikel ini berusaha mendeskripsikan secara keseluruhan buku Hall pada salah satu bagian yang mengangkat kajian tentang Funan, mulai dari sejarah pembentukan Funan menjadi sebuah kerajaan, kemudian mengalami masa kejayaan, hingga kemundurannya, setelah itu dianalisis menggunakan kajian-kajian sebelumnya yang membahas Funan dari berbagai perspektif, di antaranya proses Indianisasi dan masuknya pengaruh ajaran Hindu-Budha, serta keterkaitannya dengan kerajaan-kerajaan lain di Asia Tenggara, baik dalam aspek sejarah, sosial budaya, ekonomi, maupun politiknya.Abstract: A book entitled "Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia" written by Kenneth R. Hall and published by the University of Hawai'i Press in 2019, gives a new perspective on the study of Maritime Southeast Asia history, especially the period from the early AD to the fourteenth century. This article aimed to review one of the important themes in the book, namely the history and development of Funan as the first kingdom in Southeast Asia that ruled from the first to the sixth century AD. However, only a few academics or historians have studied this theme in depth apart from Bernard H.M. Vlekke (1943), George Cœdés (1964), M.C. Ricklefs et al. (2013), and Abd. Rahman Hamid (2015). Through the descriptive-analytic method, this article attempted to describe Hall's book in its entirety in one of the sections, which raised a study of Funan, starting from the history of the formation of Funan into a kingdom, experiencing its heyday to its decline. Then, it was analyzed using previous studies that discussed Funan from various perspectives, including the process of Indianization and the influx of Hindu-Buddhist teachings, as well as its relationship with other kingdoms in Southeast Asia, both in historical, socio-cultural, economic, and political aspects

Islam, kolonial dan tradisi lisan: Tinjauan kritis terhadap babad Tempurejo

Babad Tempurejo adalah salah satu jenis karya sastra dalam bentuk historiografi tradisional Jawa, yang mengisahkan berbagai peristiwa sejarah di suatu daerah kecil di Pulau Jawa, yang diberi nama Dusun Tempurejo, seiring berjalannya waktu dusun tersebut kini telah tumbuh menjadi daerah yang berkembang, khususnya pada bidang pendidikan Islam, hal itu tidak terlepas dari kontribusi para tokoh ulama yang membuka lahan baru supaya nantinya dapat dijadikan tempat tinggal banyak orang, kemudian mendakwahkan ajaran Islam di sana. Penelitian ini dimaksudkan untuk meninjau secara kritis teks Babad Tempurejo, yang di dalamnya memuat peristiwa penting seputar Dusun Tempurejo, serta diharapkan mampu memberikan pemahaman kepada pembaca tentang pentingnya melestarikan sejarah lokal. Adapun metode yang dipakai adalah metode deskriptif-analisis dan pendekatan sejarah, yang tahapannya meliputi heuristik, verifikasi, interpretasi, dan historiografi, penelitian ini menghasilkan tiga temuan, sebagai berikut: 1) Perkembangan Islam melalui peran ulama yang menanamkan nilai-nilai keagamaan kepada masyarakat, 2) Upaya menjaga kedaulatan wilayah dari pengaruh bangsa kolonial Belanda, dan 3) Adanya tradisi lisan yang digunakan dalam penulisan Babad Tempurejo, sebagai sarana untuk melestarikan sejarah lokal