KUWAIT: Municipal Council member and chairman of the technical committee Fahad Al-Sane criticized the reluctance of relevant authorities to reveal the true cause behind the 'seasonal fish death phenomenon.' He further criticized them for 'keeping silent' and for failure to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Sane expressed displeasure towards exchanged accusations by concerned authorities over this phenomenon without questioning those who caused it.

Meanwhile, former Municipal Council member Ashwaq Al-Mudhaf criticized the Ministry of Public Works for releasing 'strange' results which indicated that no pollution has been detected in Kuwait Bay. Mudhaf said that several ministries testified that the waters are polluted, including the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) whose undersecretary Mohammad Bushehri ordered an investigations into the matter. "There must be a neutral committee to reveal the size of this environmental catastrophe that led to the death of fish," she said. Furthermore, Mudhaf said that she had previously warned about the issue, and went and longed a complaint with the public prosecution against the government because of what she described as the negative environmental impact of ongoing constructions at the Jaber Causeway project.

PM's support

Chairman of the Structural Planning Committee at the Municipal Council Engineer Ali Al-Mousa appreciated the support of His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to the chairman and members of the Municipal Council "as they continue their efforts to realize various achievements." Mousa said in a statement to the press yesterday that members will continue their efforts during the current term which ends in October, as the remaining members will hold extraordinary meetings to process transactions that were deliberated by various committees. The Municipal Council has failed to convene since the beginning of the year due to lack of quorum after several members had resigned to contest in parliamentary elections.

Shelter

The Higher Family Affairs Council held its sixth meeting headed by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, State Minister of Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh. The meeting was attended by a large number of members from various ministers in addition to members of five teams that are formed to back up the cabinet's role in service of the Kuwait family. Sabeeh said that a decision was made to build a shelter for those suffering from family violence in Ahmadi. The shelter will receive children, women and the elderly who will be provided with sheltering, psychological, health and social services. If this center is successful, new centers will be built in other governorates to expand the service's coverage around Kuwait, she added.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi