Abstract

The Gulf War resulted in a tremendous assault on Kuwait's environment. The torching of more than 800 oil wells, the formation of oil lakes and the aerial deposition of combusted oil over the entire area were serious environmental challenges posed to the government of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government's contingency plans set their priority on extinguishing the oil well fires as the main source of hazardous pollution. Subsequently, environmental cleanup processes were initiated to clear the war-damaged urban area. Oil from oil lakes was recovered for utilization. Research programs were adopted to investigate and assess the potential impacts imposed on Kuwait and neighboring countries. Environmental monitoring programs were also carried out by means of Mt. Mitchell and Umitaka Maru cruises. Day-to-day information on oil pollution stress and marine pollution in the Gulf were collected during these cruises. The damage was mapped, and the recovery of the environment is being studied in follow-up programs. This manuscript is a concise summary of the 1991 Gulf War environmental impact as reported in literature. It also reviews the contingency plans executed to contain the associated hazards, and outlines plans for further studies on the medium- and long-term effects with focus on the management aspects of the issue.