Establishing a baseline to evaluate future impacts to groundwater resources in North Kuwait

Northern parts of Kuwait host significant reserves of fresh and brackish groundwater that are of strategic importance for the water-starved country. The increased human activities in these areas in the recent years are expected to affect the natural environment of the area with adverse impacts on the groundwater reserves. A study has recently been carried out to anticipate the potential impacts to groundwater. The results suggest that the natural recharge from the infrequent rainfall runoff mainly occurs along the ‘wadi’ (normally dry flow channels) courses and in the topographic depressions where these ‘wadis’ terminate. It has further been inferred that the volume of this recharge will possibly be affected due to the change in compaction of the surface soil through human activities. Furthermore, these activities are polluting surface soils with various chemical compounds that are, in turn, leached by the runoff and are expected to be carried to the groundwater along with the recharge. In the absence of any previous baseline data on groundwater quality and rates and quality of recharge, it has not been possible, however, to arrive at conclusions on the actual impacts of human activities in the study area on groundwater and recharge water quality and volume. In the future, the data and information collected from this study, combined with long-term monitoring, can be used to evaluate these impacts and to institute remedial measures for the protection of the groundwater resource.