KUWAIT CITY, July 30: The distillation units and cleaning system at Subiya station allegedly broke down during the initial phase of its operation, reports Al-Shahid weekly quoting sources.
Clarifying the station has yet to be turned over to the Ministry of Electricity and Water as it is still operating on a trial basis, sources revealed some engineers, an assistant undersecretary, and one of the officials in charge at the station have purportedly helped some companies obtain the tenders illegally. They have reportedly been squandering public funds by granting ministry projects to some companies even if these projects have been awarded to other companies which had earlier signed contracts with the ministry.
Sources claimed the official in charge at the station has been taking advantage of his position to achieve personal goals, while failing to maintain the cleanliness of the distillation units. Sources asserted the official’s negligence resulted in the small production of clean water and increased the probability of the station’s collapse. Sources said the official has deliberately neglected this technical problem for the benefit of a German company, which he directly contracted with to maintain the system, although a similar contract signed with Korean firm earlier is still valid. Sources added when the Korean firm proposed repairing the system, the official allegedly ignored the recommendation and called off the maintenance works to allow the German company to perform the task.
Sources confirmed the Korean company has yet to hand over the station to the ministry; hence, it has the right to demand maintenance, especially since the contract value is KD 190 million.