In line with the recent heavy rainfall experienced in the country, the government has announced that it will be granting compensation to those who suffered damages due to the unforeseen incident as shared in a report by the Arab Times Online.
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The Ministry of Public Works through the Environment Public Authority (EPA) had announced that an owner of a residence in Ardiya had inappropriately dumped waste and hazardous materials in manholes which became clogged during the heavy rains and had affected rainwater drainage in the area.
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Due to the damages caused by the poor waste disposal in the area, a fine of not less than KD 30,000 and up to KD 200,000 will be applied on the erring party as per the Environmental Protection Act No. 42 of 2014.
This development was brought about by the investigation done by the Ministry of Public Works which revealed that several manholes in the area had been blocked by waste materials caused by the house owner in question.
While Kuwait is not really known to receive much rain, it had unexpectedly received close to a year’s worth of its share or more than 95 mm, only a few minutes shy from the 117 mm average which Kuwait has had in recent years.
Because of the inclement weather, schools and public institutions were closed for a number of days, as the runoff from the heavy downpour had flooded roads and damaged some buildings in the country. Meanwhile, air traffic had also been suspended at the international airport.
Extreme deviations in weather patterns are often associated with climate change, but the flooding in the city was primarily caused by poor drainage caused by clogged manholes stuffed with waste materials.
This incident had reminded citizens as well as authorities of their respective roles and responsibilities to mitigate such kinds of emergencies and to minimize damage to life as well as to properties.