KUWAIT CITY, Oct 13: The North Al-Shuaiba Station affiliated to Ministry of Electricity and Water was ensnared in fresh scandal after a technician by chance discovered heavy leakage in the underground water system, reports Al-Shahid daily.

The technician is said to have detected the leakage while checking manholes and cables at the station which have become worn out. Also, corroded gas pipelines have led to the trickling of poisonous Methane gas (CH4), and workers at the station are said to be at risk of a cancer.

The daily quoting sources mentioned the technician went ahead to alert the ministry and the concerned authorities about the issue, but they ignored the matter to protect the project’s contractor. They went on saying the contractor had earlier informed the ministry officials about technical error he committed while cementing the channels transmitting electric and communication cables. He is also said to have told the ministry he couldn’t fix the fault due to high cost involved.

Basically, the Operations and Maintenance Sector of the ministry is accountable for the crisis, and a powerful explosion may take place in the zone as a result of the leakage, says sources.
In another development, the 26th GCC environmental coordination committee meeting and the 14th GCC ministerial meeting for the environment aim at preserving the area’s natural resources, Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun said Tuesday.

Representing the Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Higher Council of the Environment Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Al-Haroun, in an opening speech of the ministerial meeting, said “GCC’s general secretariat has exerted big efforts to sustain the area’s course and protect its environment.” “GCC leaders have placed policies and general principles in order to protect the environment, as concerned ministers are now working to manifest these policies on ground,” he added.

On his part, GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Environmental Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Hashem said the 30th GCC Summit, held in Kuwait in December 2009, produced a number of ‘green’ resolutions, especially the one on climate change and its impact on the Gulf area.

Delivering a speech on behalf of Secretary General Abdurrahman Al-Attiyah, Al-Hashem said “also of the summit’s vital resolutions is the establishment of a regional center for sustainable development in order to address constant water shortage suffered in the region, as well as addressing the issues of desertification and overall pollution.” Of the issues discussed in the 26th GCC environmental coordination committee meeting, which preceded the ministerial meeting, were regional and international agreements; such as the ones on preserving wildlife, biological diversity and protection of falcons, in addition to accords on climate change and the Ozone layer.