KUWAIT: Al-Assima Governor Sheikh Abdullah Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah on Tuesday affirmed the necessity of coordination among the public departments and lauded the existing continuous coordination among the country’s governorates to tackle hurdles in the environmental, health, and municipal spheres.

The affirmation was publicized in a statement issued after the governor chaired a coordination meeting with Hawally Governor Ali Al-Asfar, Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Adhbi Nasser Al-Adhabi Al-Sabah, Jahra Governor Hamad Al-Habshi, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governor Sheikh Sabah Badr Sabah Al-Salem, Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Humoud Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chairperson of the Volunteering Action Center Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, representatives of the Ministries of Electricity and Water, Commerce, Industries, Municipal Affairs, and Information.

Sheikh Abdullah Salem Al-Ali stated that the discussions dealt with prospective mechanisms for closer coordination among the governorates and government apparatuses, in addition to the cooperation at the social level. He praised the great efforts that have been exerted by the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy. Such close coordination proved helpful in tackling the recent power outages due to excessive consumption.

He urged citizens and residents to cooperate and rationalize the power consumption in line with their patriotic responsibilities. The capital governor affirmed that the broad meeting is aimed at examining means of supporting the state apparatuses during the peak summer period. They promoted awareness to rationalize power consumption.

KD 9,979 million deal

In another development, the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy signed a deal on Tuesday with stc worth KD 9,979 million ($32 million) to set up around 500,000 smart electricity meters around the country. Following the signature of the agreement, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry Maha Al-Asousi said in a press release that this deal aims to reduce energy consumption and help the ministry collect its dues.

The electricity meters will reduce the energy consumption through reducing human intervention and error and will also provide remote control, which will ease maintenance work, Al-Asousi continued. These smart meters also provide a real-time consumption tracker, which will help in managing energy reduction, rationing, and improving usage, thus contributing to attaining sustainability.

On his part, the CEO of stc, Muataz Al-Dharrab, said in a statement that the company is utilizing its experience in energy, IT, and telecom to reinforce the country’s infrastructure. Al-Dharrab also affirmed that executing this deal will take Kuwait one step closer to sustainability, highlighting the effective cooperation between the public and private sectors. — KUNA