DAMMAM, 23 March 2003 — Reports that Iraq may have set oil wells on fire have created concerns among environmentalists who say that it will have hazardous effects on the environment not only in Kuwait but the Kingdom and surrounding areas as well.
Prince Turki ibn Nasser, president of the Meteorological Environment Protection Agency (MEPA), expressed grave concern over the effect of the on-going war in Iraq and has said that in the aftermath of the war, environmental pollution will be immense. It could also create various health problems.
In the Gulf War of 1990-91, Iraq set Kuwaiti oil wells on fire and the smoke from burning wells clouded the skies of Kuwait and the Eastern Province for several weeks and caused acid rains.
Prince Turki also feared that the current war may result in oil spills in the Arabian Gulf, endangering marine life and causing sea pollution. Hundreds and thousands of tons of fish perished in the oil spill when nearly five million barrels of crude was dumped into the sea in the last war, and experts fear the same may happen again.
Iraqi leaders may once again dump crude oil from Zubayar and Umm Qasr and even Basra into the Arabian Gulf.
Such dumping will ruin the marine life not only in Kuwait but also in Iran, Jubail, Dammam, Ras Tanura and other coast lines in the vicinity. It took almost three months for the MEPA authorities to clean the sea following the oil spill in 1991 and normal marine life was restored even later. During that period prices of various kinds of fish and prawns went up drastically. There was also acute shortage of fish in the market.
Prince Turki said that MEPA is taking all measures to avert a repeat of the situation and all the officials have been put on alert to combat oil in the sea.
