Kuwait city: In recently repeated scenes across some areas in Kuwait, barren lands have transformed into green oases due to rain floods, triggering a notable change in plant coverage that underscores the favorable impact of rainwater harvesting.
According to Kuwait News Agency, on the road leading to Al-Forda Market in the Sulaibiya area of Kabd, rain torrents have gathered, lending the area an exceptional beauty with its green space and diverse herbs amidst drought-surrounded water swamps. This transformation vividly reflects the ability of rainwater and floods to breathe new life into the environment at a time when many countries are striving for sustainable solutions to combat desertification and water scarcity.
The marked vegetation, which resembles a flash of life, emerged following a wave of heavy rain and floods that hit Kuwait in November 2018, transforming its dry soil into striking green coverage. This highlights the significance of capitalizing on this untapped treasure, with its tremendous environmental potential, to revive dry areas and bolster vegetation in a desert environment that comprises 90 percent of Kuwait's total area.
Following the 2018 rain floods, water flowed into the area, creating a giant lake that anomalously altered the characteristics of the place and contributed to the growth of herbs and plants, showcasing the importance of rainwater. The process of directing floods to multiple areas is deemed one of the sustainable solutions for environmental revival, especially in desert countries like Kuwait. Investing floodwater and distributing it among separate areas would undoubtedly invigorate the soil and spur vegetation growth.
Due to rising summer temperatures, it is crucial to maintain water ponds through environmental and engineering methods, such as establishing basins and reservoirs to carefully collect and direct floodwater. This approach aims to support the ecosystem and preserve rain-created vegetation, which is considered an effective environmental solution to ensure the sustainability of green areas and prevent soil dryness amid scorching summer weather. This can be achieved by supplying them with excess or triple-treated water.
Despite the short rain season and water scarcity, it is essential to manage and use this water and floods smartly to gain significant environmental and economic benefits in a country committed to fulfilling global trends of conserving the environment and combating desertification. Acting Director-General of the Environment Public Authority, Nouf Bahbahani, emphasized her agency's commitment to protecting green spaces and plant communities, especially in light of fighting seasonal rain impacts, by implementing projects to fence these sites across the country.
Elaborating, she told KUNA that site-fencing is primarily meant to protect vegetation, prevent overgrazing, and ensure the continued feeding of the groundwater reserve with rainwater, ultimately aiming to sustain plant life and reduce desertification-one of the key environmental challenges Kuwait faces. Bahbahani added that such efforts align with the Environment Public Authority's mission to promote the urban scene, improve environmental quality, and support the State's goals of expanding green areas.
She highlighted that protecting such water surfaces would also contribute to conserving soil and regulating the use of natural resources. The official stressed the importance of utilizing rainwater and floods as alternative water resources, viewing this water as a promising opportunity to bolster the country's water security. She noted that her authority, in collaboration with other state ministries and concerned bodies, is keen on developing practical plans to enhance the State's environmental protection efforts, develop natural resources, and harness rainwater.
For her part, Secretary-General of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society (KEPS), Jenan Behzad, stated that rainwater harvesting is one of the strategic solutions to address water scarcity challenges in dry environments like Kuwait. Also speaking to KUNA, she emphasized the importance of storing and using rainwater to develop agricultural and environmental activities. She stressed that promoting water security by regulating rainwater and floods and turning them into reservoirs or basins would ease pressure on sewage networks and infrastructure, aiding adaptation to climate changes.
Behzad called for the utilization of rainwater harvesting in Kuwait, which faces a serious scarcity of fresh water resources due to the absence of rivers or lakes and its heavy reliance on seawater desalination. Studies indicate the necessity of promoting environmental awareness and disseminating rainwater harvesting, particularly in regions facing water scarcity or growing climate changes, suggesting smart environmental solutions as the pathway to a more sustainable future.
Field and practical studies have also revealed the tangible positive impacts of rainwater harvesting techniques in arid and semi-arid regions, as researchers have observed plant growth and vegetation in soil with high levels of organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Rainwater harvesting projects in Kuwait are considered a vital step toward maximizing the utilization of environmental benefits and this seasonal natural resource.