Kuwait six-point plan targets environmental risks, waste discharges and emergency response
The Kuwait Cabinet has approved a six-point government plan to strengthen national preparedness for potential environmental risks, improve monitoring and surveillance, speed up responses to environmental incidents and enhance coordination among government agencies.
The plan aims to strengthen environmental protection and public safety, particularly in light of current regional circumstances. The decision followed a periodic report submitted by the Ministry of Development and Sustainability Affairs on the readiness of government agencies to deal with potential environmental risks.
The report reviewed environmental incidents recorded in Kuwait, response mechanisms, and training and exercises conducted by the relevant authorities from May 30 to July 29.
Under the first axis, all government agencies will be required to immediately notify the Public Authority for the Environment of any environmental incident and provide decisions and reports detailing its effects and the measures taken.
The second axis calls for coordination with the authority to adopt and regularly update emergency plans for environmental risks at relevant technical agencies, ensuring clear roles and responsibilities and a rapid response during emergencies.
Under the third axis, the Ministry of Public Works, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority for Industry, the Public Authority for the Environment and other relevant agencies, will identify locations where health, industrial and other waste is being discharged into rainwater and sewage networks in violation of their intended use.
The agencies will also identify the sources of such discharges and accelerate the installation of smart systems and devices to monitor water quality at major rainwater outlets in Kuwait Bay and connection points across the country’s rainwater network.
The Public Authority for the Environment will receive periodic and immediate reports on implementation and related developments.
The fourth axis focuses on electronic monitoring. The Public Authority for the Environment will coordinate with the Kuwait Oil Company to use its electronic systems for real-time tracking and monitoring of tankers, as a step toward establishing an integrated national system to track petroleum-product and waste tankers from their source to their final destination, in accordance with Regulation No. 11 of 2022.
The fifth axis addresses cybersecurity. The Public Authority for the Environment will coordinate with the National Cyber Security Center to complete its integration into the Government Cyber Shield project, known as Gov Shield, to strengthen protection of environmental monitoring systems and information networks against potential cyber threats.
About 90 percent of the technical evaluation work related to the integration has been completed.
The sixth axis assigns the Public Authority for the Environment to coordinate with the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Civil Defense, and other relevant authorities to complete field and office exercises and training covering different types of environmental hazards.
The exercises are intended to strengthen national response capabilities and improve the readiness of personnel responsible for handling environmental emergencies.
18 environmental incidents handled
The report said 18 environmental incidents were handled through coordination among the relevant authorities. It confirmed that monitoring stations recorded no increase in environmental pollutant levels as a result of the incidents, except for an increase in suspended particles caused by a cross-border dust wave on July 27.
The six-point plan follows a Cabinet decision issued in June assigning the Minister of State for Development and Sustainability Affairs, who oversees the Public Authority for the Environment, to coordinate with relevant ministers and government agencies on potential environmental risks.
The minister is also responsible for following up on the implementation of related emergency plans to strengthen preparedness and improve the efficiency of emergency response.
Periodic reports will be submitted to the Cabinet every two months to assess implementation and monitor developments.
