In February 1991 Kuwait had experienced a major environmental disaster. Over 700 oil wells were ablaze and/or were damaged. Burning well fires had covered Kuwait and vast areas of neighbouring Gulf countries with thick smoke and falling black dust. Some 11 mmbbls (1.7 Mm3) of oil had polluted marine life and shore lines of Kuwait and other neighbouring countries. More than 6% of Kuwait territory was damaged with a mix of burnt crude oil, raw crude oil, chemicals and brackish water used to fight the oil well fires. The Desert was littered with all sorts of unexploded ordinance which further compounded the problem.
KOC, with global assistance, using many innovative techniques and with one of the fastest mobilization of equipment and personnel ever witnessed, had put out all well fires within a record 8 month period. Clean up of the resulting approximately 500 oil lakes remains a huge task. To date some 95% of the free weathered crude (21 mmbbls (3.3 Mm3)) have been recovered, however, the remaining sludge and contaminated lake beds continue to present major environmental, safety, security and operational problems.
Groundwater decontamination is possibly a major threat for some aquifers of Kuwait.
Treatment of weathered crude soaked beds/soil remained a challenge. Proposais received from inside and outside agencies to carry out/assist in this gigantic task are being reviewed for possible future collaboration.
OIL WELL FIRES AND OIL LAKES Both were the direct result of the occupation of Kuwait and subsequent events that led to liberation of Kuwait.
On 26 February 1991, after liberation, attention quickly focused on rebuilding the country. Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) had the momentous task ahead, to control the well fires and to rehabilitate oil production facilities which had scaled down from handling capacity of over three million barrels per day to zero level. On the one hand oil wells were burning, on the other hand not a single gathering centre had been operational. For months after liberation, the country had to rely completely on foreign supply even to meet domestic oil/fuel needs.
There were unique and unprecedented situations, never witnessed by the oil industry. Extent and scope of destruction was unknown, state of wells i.e., numbers intact or damaged or gushing or burning.
Most serious safety hazards were all around, such as fires, smoke, floating oil/water and millions of pieces of unexploded ordnance, restricting any kind of movement.
With that gloomy situation where during the day time, it was complete darkness due to black clouds of burning oil/gas encircling the atmosphere, decision was made to rehabilitate the oil industry on war 550 footing and on fast track basis. This objective was achieved thr
