Kuwait: Pollution, heat, oil slicks cause death of corals reefs

By Maha Karim

High temperature, humidity and lack of currents are among the causes of the coral reefs bleaching skirting islands off Kuwait, according to an eminent academic figure.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Saraawi, professor of sciences at Kuwait University, said in a study that currents are rarely visible off Kuwait for a long period of time during the year; from May to August. "This causes stagnation of the water and condensation of residues, factors that are harmful to the corals," he wrote.

Studies conducted by the Faculty of Sciences, during the summer, showed that the coral settlements around the islands of Kubbar and Umm Al-Maradem were still colored and drawing diverse species of fish and marine creatures. However, the whitening symptoms started to appear over the past four months, due to the soaring heat.

The bleaching of the corals, viewed by scientists and experts as death or deterioration of the corals, is also attributed to various other causes, such as oil spills, sewage water, the red tide and random dumping works.

This phenomenon has been seen not only off Kuwait but in other areas of the Gulf, said Dr. Al-Saraawi.

Kuwaiti authorities during the summer time declared that special teams discovered bleaching at several coral settlements off Kuwait. However, they have recently said that some of the affected corals showed signs of recovery and re-coloration

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