KUWAIT, Feb 7 (KUNA) -- The Kuwait Society for Earth Sciences has reported the occurrence of sinkholes in the areas of Jal Al-Zour and Al-Mutlaa in the country's desert, warning that the formations, whether natural or man-made, pose serious dangers and are unsuitable for visits due to the risk of collapse.
The society's head, Dr. Mubarak Al-Hajri, noted that the society conducted field visits to study these caves and prepare a preliminary report, stressing the need to alert the public to their hazards.
He affirmed that one such cave is in the Had Safah area of Jal Al-Zour, within a rainwater stream channel where cracks have formed. These areas are generally weak, with fractures trending northeast. The region is known for erosion, and over time, geological development of the rocks has created fissures that could expand, posing risks to anyone nearby, he added.
He urged caution when approaching this slope for any reason.
Al-Hajri said that the cave observed in Al-Mutlaa was roughly four meters in diameter and about six meters deep, containing bird nests that may be over a year old.
Al-Hajri called for the establishment of an independent national entity, the Kuwait Geological Survey Authority, to carry out critical scientific and field tasks, highlighting that such a body would help protect lives and infrastructure by monitoring subsurface conditions.
He added that with accelerated urban development and growing infrastructure investments in Kuwait, the need for a specialized national framework has become urgent to address the current scientific and institutional gap caused by the absence of a dedicated agency to study near-surface sedimentary layers and the effects of natural geological processes.
He said that such an authority could play a key role in monitoring natural phenomena and assessing geological hazards, including sinkholes, active faults, fracture networks, and other subsurface processes whose effects may appear on the surface. (end) zhr.aa