A reader sent me a link to a CNN article that talks about NASA flying over South Korea to measure polluted air. The article isn’t that interesting except for the fact that it had a list for “Worst Countries for Air Quality” and Kuwait came in 9th place on that list. How is that possible? Our air quality can’t be THAT bad, I mean it isn’t even something I’ve heard anyone ever complain about. [Link]
Thanks Alex
21 replies on “Kuwait Ranked 9th in Worst Countries for Air Quality”
Maybe the drone flew over when they were burning the tires 😛
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337351/Worlds-biggest-tyre-graveyard-Incredible-images-Kuwaiti-landfill-site-huge-seen-space.html
hahaha i was actually thinking the exact same thing
Or maybe blazing hot air filled with arrogance is classified as ‘polluted air’
HAHA
It could be a combination of burned oil fumes, sewage fumes, car emission fumes, and of course the dust
I think NASA measures particulates in the air. The crazy inhumane awful nasty fucked up dust storms we get on a regular basis are the problem.
Apparently we have a higher percentage of asthma and respiratory problems than anywhere else in the Arab world due the air quality (mostly due to dust) so it should be that
I did not have allergy or asthma problems until I arrived to Kuwait.
Our contaminated soil (full of Oil sector hydrocarbons), Is picked-up during sandstorms…KOC has been given 9 billion dollars from the UN to treat the soil…nothing is being done with the money…except embezzlement and fraud I’m sure
What about when Saddam’s troops burned oil fields as they retreated? Just spit-balling here.
that was 26 years ago..G
Things like that last for some time
you dont have to go that far back. How about particulate matter from these wars? Dust storms would definitely kick out way. Way ta go Kuwait on being an enabler of US bullshit!
I think it’s because of the high number of cars concentrated in a relatively small area.
Maybe it’s just me, but I notice that the air is somewhat cleaner in the weekends 🙂
From space, they can only measure particulates in the air and due to the constant dust in the air, Kuwait got that ranking.
In Kuwait, even on a “clear” day, there is a large amount of particulates in the air as the lack of rains in the previous years have made the top layer of soil very loose; hence the slightest wind (of which we get plenty) causes dust.
So it isn’t smog (unless someone is having a tire bbq again), but the normal dust that’s causing this.
Desert sand and dust are an obstruction to the measurement of particulates; they are not particulates and not what is measured in surveys on pollution.
A picture worth a thousand words: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/health-sapping.html
I’m not shocked from NASA results, any one who takes a boat trip away from kuwait city will see a dome of haze covering kuwait city ! Specially in night time , sad but true 🌫 Kuwait is like a big refinery of hydrocarbons & thats what you get during the process !
So true, and also in the early morning – a yellow-grey bank of pollution on the horizon from the seashore
Coming from Montana, USA to live here the pollution is obvious. I asked my Kuwaiti husband about the pollution and he said it was foggy. But the haze never leaves. Driving into Kuwait City most days you can’t make out the buildings until you are there. Whatever the causes Kuwait does have an air pollution problem.
Next time notice the smoke coming out of buses (especially City Bus). Whenever I am driving and come across any buses, I close the ventilation (air circulation) in my car to avoid smoke.
Or just google “kuwait bus smoke” and check the videos.