'Environment to be protected'
KUWAIT CITY: The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) will soon construct a sewage treatment plant in Umm Al-Hayman to protect the environment from drainage pollution, says Assistant Undersecretary for Health Engineering Sector at the Ministry of Public Works Khalid Al-Khizi.
He said the ministry faces a lot of problem due to the misuse of sewage and storm drainage networks by residents and construction contractors, adding "we are planning to improve and upgrade the structure of drainage network in various areas of Kuwait" Indicating the ministry will issue necessary rules and regulations to protect the drainage facilities, Al-Khizi "many citizens have connected their storm drainage to the drainage network of the ministry. As a result the drains tend to overflow affecting the operations of sewage treatment plants." Illegal connections to the drainage network result in the pumping of artificial materials which block and damage the network besides affecting the sewage treatment stations, he noted. Al-Khizi went on to say "the major obstacle faced by the Health Engineering Sector is the lengthy procedures for getting approval from various government authorities for implementing projects. There is no encouragement for employees of the sector who face many dangers such as the possibility of inhaling toxic gases and infections as they have to deal with sewage water."
"At the moment we are focusing on the possibility of reducing the number of pumping stations to eliminate several problems such as frequent breakdowns and emission of foul smell," he said. "With this in view we have come up with several huge projects which depend on deep drainages." He also said the new projects include the New A7 pumping station in Riggae, a pumping station in Al-Aqeela and a sewage treatment station in Sulaibiya, adding "when these projects are completed, we will have only six main pumping stations in Riggae, Mishref, Al-Aqeela, Jahra, Ardiya and Umm Al-Haiman." Environment pollution is acute in Farwaniya, Capital and Ahmadi governorates because of many violations and lack of commitment on the part of citizens and expatriates to protect the sewage and storm drain facilities, Al-Khizi concluded.
By Azza Al-Ghamdi
© Arab Times 2007
