Environmental assessment of Kuwait Bay: an integrated approach

Abstract

Kuwait Bay is an imperative characteristic of the State of Kuwait. It has a number of major activities existing around it, including, business, industrial and recreational ones. The phase of construction and development of projects, and their resulting pollution have led to major change in the features of the area. The purpose of this research is to serve as a managing tool for decision-making through the environmental assessment of Kuwait Bay. Due to the multiplicities and diversities of the man-made activities and the natural environmental setting of the bay, the impacts are out looked on a holistic approach rather than on a single approach. The methodology of assessment including, sampling and analysis of water and sediment, statistical analysis, as well as application of the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RAIM) in order to analysis the impacts in an integrated approach. The southern areas of the bay are the main sources of pollution that distributed northward to cover the central region of the bay. Sulaibikhat Bay (South-West sector of the bay) is the most vulnerable area due to its exposure to anthropogenic activities such as reclamations, sewage inflow and other activities. The area near Shuwaikh Port is suffering due to reclamation processes. The northern and north-west sectors suffer from coastal erosion as well as from pollutants arriving via Shatt Al Arab.