Kuwait Oil Well Fires

Kuwait Oil Well Fires

Kuwait City, Kuwait; March 1991. American oil rig workers contracted by the Kuwaiti government attempt to plug and stop oil wells burning out of control in the Al-Ahmadi oil fields located on the outskirts of Kuwait City. The oil fields were set on fire by retreating Iraqi troops hoping to create some cover from American airplanes strafing their positions. The fires and smoke caused one of the greatest environmental disasters of modern times. Nearly 800 oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army and the fires were not fully extinguished until November 6, 1991, eight months after the end of the war. The fires consumed an estimated six million barrels of oil daily. Their immediate consequence was a dramatic decrease in air quality, causing respiratory problems for many Kuwaitis. The sabotage of the oil wells also impacted the desert environment, which has a limited natural cleansing ability. Un-ignited oil from the wells formed about 300 oil lakes that contaminated around 40 million tons of sand and earth.

Album / Science Source / Wesley Bocxe

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3484 x 5250 px | 52.3 MB

29.5 x 44.5 cm | 11.6 x 17.5 in (300 dpi)