KUWAIT CITY, Jan 6: A Kuwaiti farmer Muhammad Al-Baddah called on the authorities concerned with agriculture and agricultural areas in Kuwait to work seriously and sincerely to end the problem of groundwater leakage in some Wafra agricultural plots that many Wafra farmers have been suffering from for over a decade.

In an interview with Al-Seyassah newspaper, Al-Baddah said, “The groundwater seeping from the ground is drowning a large part of the farm of my father (May God have mercy on him). It is dear to me, and I continue to be dedicated to it as a farmer, despite the high financial cost I have to bear and the huge loss of time and effort as a result of this problem. How long will this problem continue, as many farmers are suffering from it?”

Question: How did you deal with the problem of groundwater leakage?

Answer: I tried, with a lot of my efforts and my own money to address this destructive problem in my farm in Wafra, Block 4, but to no avail.

Q: Did you manage to combat the problem with your money?

A: Yes, I paid thousands of dinars to fill some sparkling wells adjacent to my farm, and thousands more to bring sand. It is not possible to confront this major problem without the cooperation of the concerned authorities scientifically, sincerely, seriously, and in the spirit of one team in order to find the location of the defect and treat it as quickly as possible.

Q: Who did you address about this problem?

A: The Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, the Ministry of Electricity and Water, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and Kuwait University.

Q: Did these parties respond to you?

A: The Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources did not do justice to me as it did to my neighbor, who chose to leave his farm, which was next to mine, and received an alternative plot in Wafra. I am waiting to receive justice from the PAAAFR, as an official there promised me.

Q: Will the problem worsen?

A: Ignoring the problem of groundwater leakage in Block 4 will worsen it dangerously, as several parts of it have become swamps of stagnant water where harmful insects such as mosquitoes breed. It has also become a dumping ground for the farm wastes near and far from my farm. Due to the growth of aquatic plants there, reckless youth throw a lot of water at it in order to catch birds from high above. All of this causes inconvenience and exposes us to danger.

Q: How did you live with the problem and continue your agricultural efforts?

A: Agriculture is in my blood. In the second part of my farm in Block 4 where there are many fields and agricultural tunnels, I planted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. The high produce from them was good, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Q: Do you normally produce large quantities of these types of vegetables?

A: Yes, large quantities are sent to the Sulaibiya market through the Agricultural Products Company. We also give large quantities to the farm patrons, as was the method followed during the era of my father Nasser Al-Baddah, one of the founders of the Al-Wafra Agricultural Area, the Farmers’ Union, and the Al-Wafra Farming Association in the 1970s. This farm is our second home.

Q: Do you have any requests other than solving the problem of water leaks?

A: I would like to double my crops, especially in the fields, as I did before. I used to grow large quantities of potatoes annually, but the worsening problem of groundwater leakage in a large part of my farm prevents it from being fully planted this season.

By Abdul Nasser Al-Aslami
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff