Work ongoing to reduce ‘marine pollutants’: EPA
KUWAIT CITY, April 27: The Director General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA), Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad affirmed that EPA has been coordinating with the relevant government agencies for the continuation of work to reduce the rate of pollutants that are dumped in the Kuwait Bay, reports Al-Qabas daily.
In a press statement issued on the sidelines of the ‘Recycle Properly’ event, Sheikh AlAhmad explained that steps are being taken to deal with the pollutants resulting from sewers that flow into the Kuwait Bay.
The idea of installing a water treatment plant inside each sewer before it reaches the sea is still valid. This is the project that EPA is aspiring to implement.
The project of these stations is still on the table, but awaiting the necessary budget from the Ministry of Finance for implementation.
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad said the Ministry of Public Works is currently working to reduce the rate of pollutants that are dumped into sewers, adding that EPA is also doing its part in following up illegal connections placed on the sewers in order to reduce the rate of waste and pollutants dumped into the Kuwait Bay.
Regarding the new licenses for recycling plants, he said, “We are working based on the possibilities available to recycle waste in Salmi and other areas.
There are more than 15 licenses for recycling factories in the country. In Salmi alone, we will have more than eight such new licenses.
There are different areas in Salmi for recycling through which plastic, glass, paper and any other waste will be recycled according to environmental law and the strategy set by the authority in dealing with waste”.
Also, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad drew attention to the importance of the ongoing awareness campaigns to raise environmental awareness in society.
He said, “After implementing this idea, the amount of landfills in Kuwait will be reduced and contribute to increasing the economic viability of factories. The ultimate goal is to stop landfills in Kuwait and not increase it, by recycling all waste.
We focused on plastic, which is one of the most harmful waste in the environment. However, it is also one of the easiest waste that can be recycled.”