KUWAIT CITY, Nov 20: The Environmental Affairs Committee in the Municipal Council, headed by Alia Al-Farsi, on Wednesday concluded its second workshop entitled, “Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Environmental System: Community Participation between Situation Assessment and Solutions.” During the workshop, the committee presented eight strategic recommendations, the most important of which is reducing population congestion in the area. Al Farsi said “the topic of the workshop is the concern of the Kuwait Municipality, every citizen and every individual interested in sustainability within the environmental framework. Identifying the environmental disaster in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and the low level of cleanliness there contributed to enriching the discussions in the workshop to come up with urgent solutions to the deteriorating conditions in the area.”

She affirmed the direct and indirect participation of the representatives of more than 10 concerned and specialized entities including the following: Kuwait University, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Kuwait Environment Protection Society, Environment Public Authority (EPA), and the ministries of Interior, Public Works and Municipality. She added that Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Athbi Nasser Al-Athbi Al- Sabah attended the workshop. She underscored the need to implement the recommendations finalized at the workshop to save Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and improve the poor environmental situation there. She said the current situation in the area, which is distinguished by its unique geographical location due to its proximity to the international airport and Sabah Al-Salem University City, makes it inappropriate to be inhabited by humans.

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the Municipal Council Khaled Al-Mutairi asserted that “the poor environmental and health conditions in the area are ringing the alarm bell; hence, the need to quickly find plausible solutions and to protect the neighboring areas, so they are not affected by the negative consequences of the worsening situation in Jleeb Al- Shuyoukh, which has been neglected for years.” He added the workshop focused on many important points related to the environmental situation in the area, in addition to the presentation of effective solutions and suggestions that require concerted efforts to guarantee proper implementation.

Following are the recommendations finalized at the workshop:
Coordinate a field visit to the area with the attendance of all parties participating in the workshop and the departments and committees of the executive body concerned with cleanliness in the area;
Conducte a field survey and measure the level of air and water pollution and the spread of diseases;
Implement the regulations of the Municipality and EPA regarding cleanliness, raise the level of cleanliness, and curb the spread of rats and stray dogs in the area;
Immediate repair of the dilapidated sewerage, drainage and rainwater networks in the area according to the terms and conditions stipulated in the relevant laws and regulations of the Municipality, EPA and the ministries of Public Works and Interior;
Reduce population congestion and stop the misuse of real estate to address the environmental problems and improve the level of public cleanliness; Lay down an emergency plan to repair deep holes and roads, and develop the infrastructure;
Install warning signs on the need to adhere to environmental rules and regulations in various languages to raise the awareness of expatriates residing in the area;
The executive body must intensify monitoring of the area, ensure the implementation of municipal regulations and systems, and remove all kinds of violations and encroachments.

By Inaas Awadh
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff