KUWAIT: Green Line Group’s Chairman Khalid Al-Hajri (second from left) poses with other officials at an archeological site in Subbiya that the group says is being destroyed by construction works.

KUWAIT:  Environment activists yesterday rushed to Subbiya after learning that construction works were taking place in an area of important historical significance. Green Line Group's Chairman Khalid Al-Hajri said construction activity at the Bahra 2 site in Subbiya will destroy ancient monuments and relics that are over 8,000 years old. Some of these have been unearthed, while others are still undiscovered.

Head of the Archeological Department at the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Dr Sultan Al-Diweesh immediately informed the police after he found out about the construction works. Hajri then went to the site and informed the media. He also called on the prime minister to stop these works. "We cooperate with the Archeological Department at the NCCAL, so they called Green Line to support them in this serious case," Hajri told Kuwait Times.

Police officers and officials from the Municipality went to the site to stop the works, that according to Hajri, were to pave a road to an oil derrick, which passed through the monuments and destroyed some of them. "Officials from Kuwait Oil Company came to the location and stopped the work on this road. They informed us that they will find an alternative path to the derrick. But our work hasn't finished, and we will recheck the place again after a few days, as we care about our heritage and the environment," added Hajri.

NCCAL will tomorrow gauge the damage caused by the construction works. "The main problem is that many of the historical locations are not surrounded or marked with protective fences," Hajri explained. "The work has stopped, but we are cooperating with various public institutions to draw a map of all historical places and monuments in Kuwait. There are over 300 historical locations that are not protected and we need to secure them," he concluded.

By Nawara Fattahova