Comments on current environmental events in Kuwait

This article describes and assesses the impact of oil spillage and oil well fires on Kuwait and its surroundings. The marine ecology of the Arabian Gulf is shown to be relatively resistant to damage from oil spillage. The risks of the contamination of thermal desalination plants by oil and oil products are assessed, and remedies are suggested. Air pollution from burning oil wells is described and its consequences are predicted. Editor’s note: Professor Hosny Khordagui worked as a research scientist at the Environmental and Earth Science Department of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, led to the permanent loss of most of his data, research reports, and laboratory equipment, and Prof. Khordagui was constrained to live under the Iraqi occupation for a few weeks. His article “A Conceptual Approach to the Selection of a Control Measure for Residual Chlorine Discharge in Kuwait Bay” will appear in a forthcoming issue ofEnvironmental Management.     

Petroleum hydrocarbons in the nearshore marine sediments of the United Arab Emirates

The concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were determined in nearshore sediment samples collected from 28 sampling sites along the United Arab Emirates shorelines on the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and seven major creeks (khors) extending from them. Concentrations were highly variable and ranged between <0.4 and 212 microg g(-1) dry weight, and the highest values obtained were in the top sediment (1 cm) layer near a fuel filling station and port areas. Locally high levels of TPH were found in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman semi-enclosed creeks where boat activities and land-based wastewater discharges are most common. Data support the premise that port activities, fuel filling stations and land-based wastewater discharges are major sources of pollution in the study area. Correlations with sediment grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) and distance from pollution sources are discussed.     

A conceptual approach to selection of a control measure for residual chlorine discharge in Kuwait bay

It is estimated that some 17 metric tons of residual oxidants (chlorine) are discharged into the enclosed coastal seawater of Kuwait on a daily basis from power-desalination plants alone. Alarmed by the unlimited number of reported cases of damage to marine aquatic systems due to chlorine discharge around the world, several alternatives were proposed to control such a massive discharge of residual oxidant into seawaters. Most of the proposed alternatives lacked the basic criteria necessary for their evaluation, justification, and then selection. The objective of this article is to provide a conceptual approach that can be used to select a control measure for residual oxidant discharge in Kuwait coastal seawaters. This approach is based on state-of-the-art knowledge and the unique operational and environmental factors involved. A matrix system was designed whereby the cost of residual chlorine control alternative, its effectiveness, and environmental and public health impact, performance, and reliability in Kuwait can be compared and evaluated. The selection approach considered currently operating power plants in terms of their engineering design and material (cast iron or steel condensers), current operational conditions, operator's perception, acceptability, and projected problems associated with the environmental management of proposed modifications. The proposed approach revealed that in Kuwait, conventinal chlorination was marginally superseded only by chlorination/dechlorination using SO₂ and operation alteration using process optimization. The overall cost-effective assessment matrix classified other alternatives as worse than chlorination by various degrees. Ozone and UV were found to be the worst and the least desirable alternatives for biofouling control of seawater in Kuwait. In light of the available information on the consequences of the Gulf War on the marine environment, and the potential formation of additional halogenated organic compounds through the reaction of residual chlorine with the released petroleum hydrocarbons, it is essential to control residual chlorine discharged into the nearshore environment of Kuwait.     

Environmental impact of the Gulf War: An integrated preliminary assessment

This article provides an objective integrated environmental impact assessment of the Gulf War consequences. The environmental damage was evaluated and found to be significantly exaggerated by the media and speculators. The total amount of burned crude oil was calculated to be 52.5 million metric tons. Most air pollution field measurements were comparable to those found in Western cities. The health impact associated with such exposure was found to be minimal. The total amount of oil released into the marine environment ranged between 2 and 4 million barrels, much less than the early estimation of 12–14 million barrels. The marine environment is expected to recover much faster than earlier anticipations. Unlike water and air, soil pollution is likely to persist for some years to come.     

Industrial plastic on the southern beaches of the Arabian Gulf and the western beaches of the Gulf of Oman

The increasing production and use of plastic in the Arabian Gulf combined with shipping and waste disposal practices, have increased the concentration of plastic particles on the sea's surface and beaches. The objective of this investigation was to provide an assessment of the abundance, distribution, potential sources and significance of industrial plastic on the western beaches of the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Gulf and on the eastern beaches on the Gulf of Oman. The abundance of stranded plastic pellets was highly uneven. By early 1992 alarming levels of fresh plastic pellets were noticed on the Arabian Gulf beaches of the UAE. Large numbers of 25 kg sacks of white plastic spherules manufactured by (SABIC) in Jubail, Saudi Arabia were washed ashore. When compared to the west coast on the Arabian Gulf, the east coast on the Gulf of Oman exhibited much lower levels of plastic pellets. When compared to other parts of the world, the beaches of the UAE on the Arabian Gulf are considered to be heavily polluted with industrial plastic.