The Environment Public Authority (EPA) Board of Directors has adopted a new list of violations and their corresponding penalties, which include maximum fine of KD10,000 , reports Al-Watan Arabic daily quoting Director of the Industrial Environment Administration Mohammad Al-Enezi.

“According to the new list, all violations presented to the authority’s board will be reviewed to determine the appropriate punishment. Anyone proven to have violated the environment safety regulations will be fined, ranging from KD 50 to KD 10,000, depending on the type and magnitude of the violation.

Previously, the maximum fine was KD 5,000. The new fines, however, are not applicable to grave violations, which cannot be settled,” Al-Enezi explained.

Al-Enezi advised the owners of factories and trading facilities to abide by the regulations.
He said the EPA board decided to impose harsher penalties to serve as a deterrent to others and to ensure the safety not only of the environment, but more importantly the people.

The survey of the existing Environmental Laws and Regulations in the State of Kuwait indicates that there is evidence that some progress have been achieved during the last decade in the field of environment in general.
However, these advances have been inadequate in particular in the area of the enforcement of environmental law by the executing Authorities and also due to the reluctance of the judiciary system to play a leading role in the interpretation (open versus conservative) of the present laws pertaining to environment and to the judges’ capabilities in the field of environmental law.