Government plan with six pillars to address environmental risks
- Immediate notification to the Ministry of Environment upon the occurrence of any incident, along with the submission of reports.
- Adoption and periodic updating of emergency plans to ensure clarity of roles and rapid response.
- Monitoring of waste discharge sites and installation of smart devices to monitor water quality.
- Establishment of an integrated national system for tracking petroleum derivatives and waste tankers.
- Completion of the integration of the Ministry of Environment into the Government Cyber Shield project.
- Completion of exercises and drills to enhance efficiency in handling emergency situations.
In the context of strengthening national readiness and raising the level of preparedness to deal with potential environmental risks, the Council of Ministers approved an integrated government plan consisting of six pillars aimed at developing the monitoring and surveillance system, accelerating response to environmental incidents, and enhancing coordination among relevant government entities, thereby reinforcing environmental protection and community safety, particularly in light of current regional conditions.
The government plan came in light of the periodic report submitted by the Ministry of Affairs of Development and Sustainability regarding the readiness of relevant government entities to handle potential environmental risks. The report reviewed environmental incidents that occurred in the country and the mechanisms used to address them, along with the training and exercises conducted by competent authorities between May 30 and July 29 of last year.
The first pillar mandated all government entities to notify the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs immediately upon the occurrence of any environmental incident, and to submit immediate decisions and reports detailing the consequences of the incident and the measures taken to address it.
The second pillar involved coordination with the Authority to adopt emergency plans for environmental risks among relevant technical entities and update them periodically, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities and rapid response in the event of any emergency.
In the third pillar, the Council of Ministers directed the Ministry of Public Works, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority for Industry, the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, and relevant entities, to monitor the precise locations where health, industrial, and other wastes are discharged into rainwater and sewage networks in violation of their designated uses, identify their sources, and expedite the installation of smart systems and devices to monitor water quality at major rainwater outfalls in the Port of Kuwait and at rainwater network connection points across all regions of the country. The Public Authority for Environmental Affairs is to be provided with periodic and immediate reports on the implementation status and related developments.
The fourth pillar focused on enhancing electronic supervision. The Council of Ministers directed the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, in coordination with Kuwait Oil Company, to leverage their electronic systems for the tracking and real-time monitoring of tankers, with a view to establishing an integrated national system for tracking petroleum derivatives and waste tankers from the source point to their final destination, based on Bylaw No. 11 of 2022.
In the fifth pillar, the Council directed the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs to coordinate with the National Cybersecurity Center to complete the procedures for integrating the Authority into the Government Cyber Shield project (Gov Shield), thereby enhancing the protection of environmental monitoring systems and information networks from potential cyber threats, particularly given that approximately 90% of the technical assessment work related to the integration has been completed.
The sixth agenda item addressed the mandate given to the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Civil Defense and other relevant entities, to complete the implementation of field and office-based exercises and drills related to various types of environmental risks. The objective is to enhance the national response capacity, strengthen the readiness of specialized personnel, and improve their ability to handle emergency situations.
The report indicated that 18 environmental incidents were managed through coordination among various competent authorities, with emphasis on the fact that no increase in environmental pollutant levels was recorded at monitoring stations as a result of these incidents, except for a rise in suspended particulate matter caused by a transient cross-border dust wave on July 27.
The government plan of the Council of Ministers was formulated in light of its follow-up to the decision issued last June, which tasked the Minister of State for Development and Sustainability, who oversees the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, in coordination with relevant ministers and government entities, each within their respective jurisdictions, to address any existing or potential environmental risks, and to monitor the implementation of related emergency plans. This aims to enhance preparedness and improve the efficiency of handling emergencies, with periodic reports submitted to the Council every two months to evaluate the level of implementation and track developments.
