An overview of Kuwait’s water resources and a proposed plan to prevent the spread of the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic through Kuwait’s water supply facilities and groundwater system

Akber, A.; Mukhopadhyay, A.

Kuwait has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that is still raging in the country despite all precautionary measures adopted by the Government of Kuwait. The lack of definitive knowledge about of the occurrence, evolution and migration mechanisms of the Novel Corona Virus (NCV-19) makes it very difficult to develop a comprehensive and implementable plan to identify the possible contamination pathways of the virus and to prescribe effective mitigation measures to eliminate or, at least, reduce its potential negative effects. In an arid country such as Kuwait, water could potentially act as a “conduit” through which the Novel Corona Virus (NCV-19) could spread. Water pathways for the spread of the virus include a multitude of sources such as hospitals and quarantine facilities, input and output seawater of the desalination plants, surface and elevated freshwater reservoirs, freshwater distribution centers for water bowsers, freshwater distribution points for residential areas, booster pumping stations along the freshwater network, freshwater network at residential areas, fresh and brackish water in houses and residential units and the groundwater of the country’s water fields.A plan has been made to develop a better understanding of the possible pathways and the migration mechanisms of the Novel Corona Virus (NCV-19) in Kuwait’s water facilities and groundwater system in preparation for the development of a comprehensive and implementable plan to address and mitigate the challenges of the virus. This will involve investigating the effects of temperature and time on the survival of the virus in water by preserving the water samples to be collected in a temperature-controlled environment for specific time periods. Laboratory soil column tests using a combination of different types of soils and Corona Virus contaminated water will be conducted to assess the mobility of the virus through the soil. Lastly, laboratory treatment of water contaminated with the virus using ultraviolet (UV) light, ozonation and chlorination techniques will be carried out to assess the effectiveness of these methods for disinfection of water that is contaminated with the virus.