Appeal To Kuwaitis And Expats Against Pollution At Kuwait Bay

The Kuwait Society for Environmental Protection (KSEP) commented on the Municipal Council’s announcement of “the new committee’s initial approval to establish a sea bridge linking Mutla'a City to Kuwait City via Kuwait Bay.” In a press statement issued yesterday in response to the Municipal Council’s proposal, the society called for mobilizing the efforts of concerned parties to address the pollution of Kuwait Bay and the challenges facing its cleanliness and protection. It called on citizens, residents, and all parties to interact positively with its “Kuwait Bay Life” initiative, which it launched in 2016, to preserve and protect Kuwait Bay, and its components and natural and environmental habitats, as it is a major economic resource for drinking water and desalination plants, in addition to its coastal, beach, recreational and commercial importance. The Kuwait Society for Environmental Protection said, “The importance of Kuwait Bay lies in it being an economic, environmental, natural, ecological and geographical area for the State of Kuwait.” Most importantly of all, it is classified in the Environmental Protection Law as a region and environment of a special nature. It is considered a meeting point for the ecosystem in the sea and the ecosystem on land, and is the second largest fish pond in the world.

It is also considered a suitable and safe area for shrimp breeding and nursery, and a home for migratory birds due to its warm climate, in addition to the availability of food and water. It seems that we are in dire need today of a reminder of the goals of this initiative and campaign to always keep the environmental issue in mind. The slowness of the currents inside the Bay makes it impossible for there to be any structural obstacles in this limited area. This will affect the movement of water circulation and renewal in Kuwait Bay, which in turn affects the accumulation of heavy metals and the nutrient levels in the water column, and thus affecting the fish stock.” The society explained that the most prominent and important reason for preserving and protecting Kuwait Bay is the large fish stocks, which represent a major resource for food security in the country.

National efforts must be exerted to solve the problem, the most prominent of which is the allocation of a national committee concerned with this matter. It should include representatives of the relevant and concerned parties, in addition to the allocation of Chapter Five (Biological Diversity) and Chapter Three, Articles 108, 109, and 110 of the Environmental Protection Law. The Kuwait Society for Environmental Protection stated, “Perhaps the most important thing is that Articles 108 and 110 of the Environmental Protection Law No. 42/2014 amended by Law No. 99/2015 stipulates that it is not permissible to initiate any projects inside the city without obtaining the approval of the Supreme Council for the Environment.

This is not currently available because the council has not been formed and its work has been suspended for quite some time. The Supreme Council for the Environment cannot decide whether to approve or not until it obtains studies about the environmental impact and the opinion of the Environment Public Authority, as the decision is linked to its recommendation regarding the project’s impact on Kuwait Bay.” In its statement, the Kuwait Society for Environmental Protection highlighted the importance of preserving Kuwait City. It emphasized the importance of sustainable interaction with individual, collective, and institutional responsibility towards it, and taking into account the interests of future generations, due to its economic, environmental, natural, ecological, and geographical importance to Kuwait.

By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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