Original Source
Kuwait Desalination Plant Attack Highlights Middle East Water Vulnerability
Attack on Kuwaiti Plant and Damage
Kuwait has accused Iran of carrying out a 'heinous attack' on one of its combined power and desalination plants last Sunday. The purported strike killed one worker, an Indian national, and caused extensive damage to a service building, according to Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, spokeswoman for Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy. Authorities have not disclosed which facility was struck or whether electricity or water production has been disrupted. NASA FIRMS satellite data detected an active fire at the Doha West Power and Water Treatment Plant in Kuwait.
Middle East's Reliance on Desalination
Like much of the Middle East, nations in the region depend heavily on industrial production, particularly desalination plants, to meet their freshwater needs. Kuwait relies on desalination for 90% of its water, and this attack heightens concerns about water security across the region. Desalination supplies a large share of drinking water—ranging from about 42% in the UAE to nearly 99% in Qatar. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have heavily invested in this critical infrastructure.
*Source: RT News (2026-03-30)*
