Pollution in sea water is killing Kuwait’s fish, a researcher has warned.
Baheeja Bahbahani, chairperson of the educational environment committee at the Faculty of Education, told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) that seawater tests have indicated high percentages of toxins that are likely to cause mass fish deaths in summer and urged the authorities to act promptly and take precautionary steps to reduce marine contamination.
The pumping of wastewater into the sea has resulted in a rise in the percentage of sulfur, ammonia, phosphate, and bacteria, she said.
Another cause for grave concern is that the tests have also indicated a significant drop in the oxygen content in water, a factor that could escalate a high human health risk for water distillation plants using sea water, Kuna reported on Sunday, quoting the researcher.
The wastewater from domestic and industrial waste contains chemicals that are likely to cause a number of diseases, including Typhoid and cholera.
According to Bahbahani, bacteria contaminate the sea creatures, which include those sometimes eaten by humans in raw from, like shellfish.
There are also risks to the biodiversity and the negative impact on coral reefs, she said.
“We call upon environmental agencies and researches centers to take precautionary measures like environmental monitoring. They can use the sea creatures as a sign of the pollution in the sea,” she said.
According to Behbahani, environmental planning should be part of the comprehensive developing plan of the country.
