‘EPA assumes responsibility of preserving natural resources’
Oil spot seen off Shuaiba port contained: Sheikh Abdullah
KUWAIT CITY, March 26, (KUNA): Kuwait is eager to share the world the observation of the “Earth Hour,” said Director of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah on Saturday.
Through applying the law on protection of the environment, the EPA has assumed the responsibility of preserving natural resources and rationalization of consumption of power, as well as boosting awareness on the hazards of climate change on Kuwait and the globe, Sheikh Abdullah said in a press statement on the sidelines of the authority’s marking of the Earth Hour.
Just like every year, Kuwait marks the occasion by switching lights off for a whole hour, in line with the country’s commitment to the relevant international conventions on maintaining resources and curbing emissions, as a national duty, he added.
Referring to the oil spot seen off the Shuaiba port Saturday dawn, the EPA director said it was contained. Initial reports have shown that the spot was caused by a leak from a container at the site.
After the spot is removed by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) over the coming two days, it will be fully investigated, he noted.
For his part, the EPA’s deputy director for technical affairs Mohammad Al-Enezi, said that the Earth Hour is to convey an expressive message to the world that the rationalization of power consumption is of prior importance to curb emissions.
Al-Enezi added that the EPA is working on Kuwait’s second national report on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in cooperation with the West Asia United Nations Environment Program, and other relevant state bodies.
In addition, the authority is surveying the impact of climate change on the state’s major sectors — water resources, fish wealth, and public health and the future outlook of temperature, rainfall and sandstorms, he noted.