KUWAIT CITY, June 19: Environmental NGO Green Line disclosed on Sunday a document that states that Kuwait’s Environment Public Authority (EPA) has kept silent on the hazardous living conditions in north-western Sulaibikhat.

Head of Green Line Khaled Al-Hajeri revealed at a press conference the EPA document, acquired by the NGO, shows the authority knew the area was not fit for residency since 2007. However, it failed to warn citizens or obligate the General Organization for Housing Welfare to halt building housing units in the area, he said.

Al-Hajeri stressed the document proves that EPA’s officials have been abusing their authority and neglecting their responsibilities. “EPA has misled the residents of north-western Sulaibikhat and put their health in danger by not warning them of the true living conditions in the area,” he said and warned that the situation will transform into a disaster similar to the disaster of Um Hayman.

The document, which was not disclosed by the EPA, says that the area of north-western Sulaibikhat is affected by gas pollutants, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, carried by the wind from the East Doha and West Doha water distillation and power generating stations. It also says that there is high possibility that acid rain will fall on the residents in the future.

Al-Hajeri said that sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides will pose a future danger to the health of residents in the area as constant exposure to these toxins will lead to cancer, respiratory diseases and will result in the collapse of children’s immune system.

Al-Hajeri invited all residents or land owners in north-western Sulaibikhat to file lawsuits against the public authority for failing to warn them of the dangers.

Furthermore, the environmental activist also said that the EPA headquarters is being misused as it has been recently transformed into a “parties hall” to celebrate the birthdays of high-ranking officials within the authority. He requested the director of the Supreme Council for the Environment, who is also the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to personally investigate these incidents.

“The authority’s director Salah Al-Modhi, who has a case against him in the name of His Highness the Amir, has disregarded the court sentence against him and used the authority’s building to celebrate his birthday. Therefore, he has clearly violated and belittled the judiciary authority”, Al-Hajeri said.

He added that the Green Line was surprised to receive the public authority’s newsletter with pictures of the isolated director within the building celebrating his birthday along with a number of other officials. He added that Green Line calls upon Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to refer all the management personal of EPA, who participated in the event and disregarded court orders issued in the name of His Highness the Amir, for investigation.

“We had expected EPA to e-mail us environmental updates on its actions for the sake of Kuwait’s children, but what we’ve received instead is information on the authority’s scandals. Fortunately, many of the authority’s noble officials are willing to testify against EPA’s current management and their silence on the true environmental situation in Kuwait,” Al-Hajeri said.