OIL AND WATER: REGIONAL HUB OFFICER RECEIVES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 KUWAIT 001830 SIPDIS SENSITIVE AMMAN FOR ESTH HUB OFFICER JWHITTLESEY INTERIOR FOR USGS/INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE FOR NOAA/INTERNATIONAL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV TBIO EPET PREL KPAO KU TSPL SUBJECT: OIL AND WATER: REGIONAL HUB OFFICER RECEIVES OVERVIEW OF KUWAIT'S ESTH CONCERNS REF: A. STATE 73277 ¶B. KUWAIT 1042 ¶C. KUWAIT 986 This cable is sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. Not for internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. During his April 17-20 orientation visit to Kuwait, Amman Regional Environment, Science, Technology and Health (ESTH) officer Jock Whittlesey met with a wide range of governmental, non-governmental and private sector individuals and participated in three public diplomacy outreach events. Generally speaking, most interlocutors agreed that environmental protection and awareness are increasing, but that there is still a long way to go, particularly from a regulatory and enforcement standpoint. The oil industry has arguably the most significant impact on the environment, generating air, solid waste and liquid seepage pollution. Since Kuwait (like all GCC states) must produce and sell oil, the challenge is to develop cleaner ways of doing so while maintaining efficient production. To help mitigate the effects of an oil spill, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has a developed national oil spill response plan. ¶2. (SBU) Kuwait's other primary environmental concern is water. To reduce pressure on fresh water supplies, Kuwait has a separate system for brackish water, and has built a new facility to reclaim and treat wastewater. However, conservation is non-existent, and water overusage has raised the water table, resulting in pools of water that stagnate year-round and undermine surface stability. On land issues, Whittlesey learned about increasing desertification, desert rehabilitation and protection initiatives, and Kuwaiti concerns about depleted uranium. Issues of regional concern also dominated discussions, including worries about Iraq's marshlands, dams in Turkey and disposal and possible leakage of nuclear waste materials in Iran. Finally, the interlocutors identified a number of areas for future ESTH cooperation with the U.S. END SUMMARY. Overview of Meetings -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During his April 17-20 orientation visit to Kuwait, Amman Regional Environment, Science, Technology and Health (ESTH) officer Jock Whittlesey met with a wide range of individuals to obtain an overview of Kuwait's ESTH issues. From the Government of Kuwait, Whittlesey met Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KEPA) Director General Jassem Beshara and Deputy Director General Rashed Al-Rashoud (Note: KEPA is the functional equivalent of an environment ministry),and Ministry of Energy Undersecretary Saud Al-Zaid, who is responsible for water issues. At the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR),a quasi-governmental research facility, Whittlesey spoke with Director General Abdulhadi Al-Otaibi, Petroleum Research and Studies Center Director Hasan Qabazard, Environmental Sciences Department Manager Abdul Nabi Al-Ghadban, and Remote Sensing Group Research Associate Ahmad Al-Dousari. ¶4. (SBU) To learn more about the petroleum industry's role in managing environmental problems, Whittlesey spoke with the Oil Spill Response Coordinator for Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC),Captain Awadh Saeed, and to learn about non-governmental efforts to protect the environment, he met with Shaykha Amthal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Ahmad Almershed from the Kuwait Voluntary Work Center. Finally, Whittlesey spoke with Hassan Mohammedi, the coordinator for the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME),an intergovernmental organization that is headquartered in Kuwait and covers all of the GCC states plus Iran and Iraq. Public Outreach -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In conjunction with his visit, which coincided with Earth Day (ref A),Whittlesey participated in three public diplomacy events. At Kuwait University, he gave a lecture to a group of students and faculty on environmental governance in the U.S. The lecture linked together a number of issues that are of concern to post, including the significance of grassroots participation and governmental decentralization, the importance of environmental cooperation under U.S. free trade agreements, and the need for international cooperation on ESTH issues (including the utility of Kuwaiti students studying in the U.S.). A Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reporter attended the talk, and the local media reprinted her wire report widely. Whittlesey later made similar remarks in an exclusive interview with the Arabic daily Al-Qabas, which ran a full-page story. Whittlesey also visited the Fatma Al-Hashemiya public girls' high school, where he met with the Nowair club, a group of gifted young women chosen by their science teachers to participate in a club that promotes environmental awareness. The students put on an impressive presentation of the various scientific, public outreach and consciousness-raising projects in which they are currently engaged. Environmental Protection and Awareness in Kuwait -------------- --- ¶6. (SBU) Generally speaking, most interlocutors agreed that environmental protection and awareness are increasing in Kuwait and throughout the Gulf. In Kuwait, a severe red tide in 2001 that led to a massive fish kill seems to have raised the profile of marine environment issues; indeed, almost everyone with whom Whittlesey spoke referred to that disaster. Still, there is still a long way to go, particularly from a regulatory and enforcement standpoint. While the KEPA officials predictably put a positive spin on environmental protection in Kuwait (which they called comparable to that in other GCC states),others were more critical. KISR's Qabazard, for example, referred to KEPA as "primitive," and called its environmental regulations insufficient. ¶7. (SBU) Shaykha Amthal from the Kuwait Voluntary Work Center also agreed that Kuwait,s lax environmental protection rules pose the greatest challenge. (Note. Shaykha Amthal is also the Emir's sister. End Note.) She added, however, that the public is also uneducated about the importance of the environment. Her organization is trying to rectify the latter by carrying out public awareness campaigns and working directly with schools, since in her view, it will be easier to sensitize children than to reach adults. Impact of the Petroleum Industry -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The oil industry is without a doubt the most important player in Kuwait's economy; it also has arguably the most significant impact on the environment. KEPA's Beshara noted that because of Gulf states' economic dependence on oil, this is an extremely sensitive and highly politicized issue. Beshara, who worked for many years in the petroleum sector, remarked that GCC countries' pollution analysis studies uniformly identify the same source: hydrocarbons. The industry is the primary source of three types of pollution: air emissions (sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides, and particulates from burning fuel), solid wastes, and liquid seepage (both on land and at sea). ¶9. (SBU) Since the GCC states must produce and sell oil, Beshara said, the challenge is to develop cleaner ways of doing so. He believes that with proper legislation and standards, the petroleum industry would be obliged to use cleaner technologies. He added that there must also be increased awareness of environmental issues and a cultural change within the industry, especially at the operator level. Beshara commented that the GOK has started to push for these changes, but said that it will take time. In his opinion, the motivation within the government is there, as is the requisite will among petroleum decisionmakers (indeed, KPC's Saeed said his company is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring its facilities into compliance with the stricter KEPA standards that were imposed after the 2001 fish kill). But, Beshara noted, the industry's primary concern will always be efficiency. ¶10. (SBU) To help mitigate the effects of any oil spill, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has created a division within its subsidiary, Kuwait Oil Company, that is solely responsible for developing and maintaining a national oil spill response plan that includes stakeholders from throughout the government and industry. Although the plan covers both land and maritime spills, Oil Spill Response Coordinator Saeed focuses primarily on spills at sea. In addition to adversely affecting the marine environment, such spills could potentially have a negative impact on Kuwait's drinking water supply, since much of it is desalinated seawater. KPC also works closely with ROPME's marine emergency office in Bahrain (called MEMAC),as well as with the U.S. Navy, to ensure that there is a detailed, coordinated plan for coping with oil spills resulting from collisions or other accidents throughout the Arabian Gulf. Water -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The other primary environmental concern in arid Kuwait is water. According to the Ministry of Energy's Al-Zaid, average water consumption for 2004 was 273 million imperial gallons per day (roughly 109 gallons/day of fresh water use per capita). Unlike Arab countries in the Levant and Maghreb, Kuwait uses only small percentage of its water resources for agriculture (about 12-14 million gallons/day total; the vast majority of fresh water consumption (70 percent) is for household use. While some drinking water comes from aquifers, most potable water and brackish water used for irrigation comes from desalination plants. ¶12. (SBU) To reduce pressure on fresh water supplies, Kuwait has developed two separate water systems, one of which delivers fresh water and another for brackish water. The ministry estimates that it delivers about 100 million gallons/day of brackish water, mostly for irrigation. As part of its strategy for increasing water supplies, Al-Zaid described a recently completely, four-stage wastewater treatment facility, which reclaims 80 million gallons of wastewater each day (ref C). The government distributes most of this water to farms in northern and southern Kuwait for irrigation, and uses the remainder to irrigate landscaping. ¶13. (SBU) Al-Zaid complained, however, that consumers are using fresh water inappropriately for purposes like filling swimming pools, washing cars and watering their gardens. (Note. Part of the blame for this lies with the Ministry, which only bills consumers annually for fresh water -- and often fails to collect even these annual bills -- and which does not meter brackish water use at all. End Note.) As is the case elsewhere in the Gulf, heavy irrigation of non-drought resistant landscaping and the reinjection of water into oil fields (creating artificial lift that pushes the oil to the surface) has raised the water table, resulting in pools of water that stagnate year-round and undermine surface stability (leading to sinkholes and higher construction costs). Land Issues -------------- ¶14. (SBU) The overall scarcity of water -- and the Kuwaiti penchant for camping in the desert -- have accelerated the process of desertification. According to KISR remote sensing expert Al-Dousari, desertification has become severe in southern Kuwait, and is well underway in the north and west. As he pointed out, the desert can barely support animal life under the best conditions, much less cope with humans and their vehicles. Al-Dousari pointed out that desertification could also have serious implications for the oil industry: KPC and its subsidiaries have a number of facilities in the desert that could become choked with sand if natural windbreaks were destroyed and sandstorms became worse and more frequent. ¶15. (SBU) Shayka Amthal described efforts that her organization has undertaken to protect the desert environment, including establishing a 300 million square meter nature reserve in northern Kuwait and a bird sanctuary. She has also worked closely with the U.S. military to rehabilitate land that the military used during Operation Iraqi Freedom (ref B). ¶16. (SBU) Finally, the controversy over the safety of depleted uranium (DU) is alive and well in Kuwait. Embassy officials told Whittlesey that the Kuwaitis are quite sensitive about DU, and routinely carry out radiation testing on ranges where the U.S. military works. The Kuwaiti military is also currently engaged in negotiations to get rid of all tank ammunition containing depleted uranium. Finally, the Kuwaitis are looking to enter into a commercial contract to remove soil with low-level radiation contamination from Kuwait for disposal elsewhere. Regional Concerns -------------- ¶17. (SBU) During Whittlesey's discussions, it became clear that regional issues have a great impact on Kuwait's environment. (Note. Much of Kuwait's environment was severely damaged after the Iraqi invasion, when Saddam's retreating forces set fire to the oil wells; the Kuwaitis are particularly sensitive to the environmental threats posed by their neighbors. End Note.) This was most apparent in discussions about southern Iraq's marshes, which were drained by Saddam Hussein and are gradually being restored. KISR's Al-Otaibi described likened the marshes to a comb that, before they were drained, prevented biocides from leaking into the northern Gulf. At the same time, nutrients from the marshes flowed south into the Gulf and provided food for the fish in the fragile ecosystem near Bubiyan island. Draining the marshes had a doubly damaging effect: insecticides began leaching freely into the water supply, and salinity began to rise in the northern Gulf as the marshes' fresh water output diminished. Al-Ghadban added that reflooding the marshes has resulted in pollutants, including hydrocarbons, flowing into the Gulf. ¶18. (SBU) KISR's Al-Ghadban is also worried about the effects of Turkey's Anatolia dam scheme (which, ironically, is being partially financed by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development). The remnants of this river water eventually flow into the northern Gulf after passing through Iraq. If the supply is severely reduced or terminated, Al-Ghadban contends, the ecosystem of the northern Gulf will be jeopardized by an increase in salinity. Al-Ghadban said he had raised this concern with the National Assembly, UNEP and UNDP. ¶19. (SBU) Several interlocutors expressed concern about Iran's nuclear program. Al-Ghadban said that he had spoken to the National Assembly about the threat posed by possible leakage of nuclear waste materials, and raised the specter of contamination resulting from illegal dumping of nuclear waste in the Gulf. In Al-Ghadban's opinion, there is a strong need for regional cooperation to deal with such matters, although he noted that there is a certain amount of mistrust among the partners. (Note. One organization that is helping facilitate such regional cooperation is ROPME. End Note.) Areas for Cooperation with the U.S. -------------- ¶20. (SBU) Whittlesey's interlocutors identified several areas for possible future cooperation with the U.S. Shaykha Amthal requested U.S. assistance in strengthening environmental laws and improving enforcement. KEPA's Beshara said his organization could use American expertise for workshops and training on issues like environmental impact studies, industrial waste, and air pollution control. He asked that the training take place in Kuwait, to help build indigenous capacity. ¶21. (SBU) Another common suggestion was the need for information on new environmental technologies. The Ministry of Energy asked to learn more about new water production and conservation technologies and techniques, while KISR's Al-Otaibi said Kuwait would benefit from U.S. experience in cleaning large quantities of hydrocarbons from soil, fighting desertification, employing nanotechnology for desalination, treating wastewater, and artificial recharge technology. KISR's Al-Qabazard made a plea for U.S. help in promoting transparency and encouraging the community to demand its "right to know" what the government is doing, not only on environmental issues but also more generally. KPC's Saeed, noting that British companies are more actively promoting their environmental technologies than American ones, made an innovative suggestion that U.S. companies consider hosting a trade show in conjunction with a conference by U.S. experts on environmental standards, regulations and technologies. ¶22. (SBU) Finally, nearly all interlocutors asked for an increase in ESTH exchanges. KISR's Qabazard was emphatic about the importance of this, saying that Kuwaitis love American ideas and Americans, outlook on life. "If we get 1-2 percent (of that) here, we,ll be winners," Qabazard asserted. He added that money is not a problem for KISR or Kuwaitis generally, but said that they need U.S. assistance in initiating contacts. ¶23. (U) Regional ESTH Hub Officer Jock Whittlesey cleared this cable. LEBARON