Disaster preparedness in Kuwait requires cooperation from all sectors of society
Dr. Wijdan al-Oqab, secretary-general of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society
As it sailed out of Kuwait’s Mina Alahmadi oil terminal, the tanker Hadiya sustained an explosion along its hull, spilling up to 5,000 gallons of petroleum into the Arabian Gulf. The Kuwaiti Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force, along with assistance from the Kuwaiti Fire Surface Directory, answered the distress call, rescued injured mariners, suppressed the flames and helped contain the oil spill.
But this simulation conducted during the Eagle Resolve military exercise in March 2015 provided an opportunity to do something unique. For the first time in the history of the biennial exercise, civilian environmental protection organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, played a substantial role in responding to the catastrophe.
The resulting oil spill, injuries, water pollution and deaths required participation not only of my organization — the Kuwait Environment Protection Society — but the Ministry of the Interior, the National Guard, the Fire Department, the Medical Emergency Department, the Ministry of Health and the Environment Protection Authority.
These groups’ response to the incident revealed a large capacity for handling crises. Dealing with disasters embodied the true meaning of integration between state institutions and the various agencies and the importance of collaboration in controlling the consequences of crises.
As noted by Lt. Col. Bader Faleh Al-Kudam, director of Kuwait’s Shuaiba Marine Rescue Center: “The operation was an excellent success.”
Civil society organizations are considered a key pillar in building a nation. They play a main role in developing a society whose members and groups effectively contribute to the building and prosperity of a nation, and in defending it. Civilians and civil society institutions can play an effective role in crisis and disaster management. Each has its own specialty, resources and defined role. Through joint cooperation and coordination, they can achieve the goal.
At first glance, Eagle Resolve 2015 looked like a purely military exercise. Thankfully, the civil element was added to the latest iteration of the exercise. My agency and other civil organizations participated along with governmental authorities. Gen. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Kandari, the driving force in the exercise, graciously allowed my organization to create a civilian crisis management unit for the first time in this exercise. We devised a manual that detailed the resources and capabilities of ministries, institutions and others agencies to make the best use of them in times of crisis.
We collaborated as one unit facing this challenge. All the locally invested authorities participated in it. The exercise management did not overlook any authority or party. While preparing for this exercise, we put a plan together defining the role for each of the participating parties in facing any danger, whether it be marine pollution, human casualties or anything else. There is no doubt that the expanded participation contributed to supporting the plan. It demonstrated the capabilities that these parties should have in case they have to deal with such emergencies.
Through this exercise and others, the Kuwait Environment Protection Society participated with governmental entities to put plans together that included taking immediate measures in case of any pollution. The purpose was to eliminate environmental disasters. Without a well-laid plan, the results could be disastrous and the threats to populations, desalination plants, ports, marine life, the fishing industry and beaches vast. These plans will determine how to control and reduce the serious repercussions and the effects of any pollution to our territorial waters.
This participation proved the importance of reviewing emergency and crisis plans and producing guidelines to speed up the response; it is one of the main requirements for the protection of the environment. It also helps define the roles of ministries, state institutions and community organizations and what is required of them, in addition to the importance of optimal utilization of the resources of the authorities, both human and technical. Preserving the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and achieving this goal requires a concerted national effort.