They created 246 lakes that would eventually cover nearly 50 square kilometers of desert. According to Green Cross, today nearly 95 percent of the oil has been recovered and much of it sold. But the remaining 5 percent, though seemingly a negligible amount, is wreaking havoc upon Kuwait's arid ecosystems. As it percolates downward, the oil contaminates the nation's freshwater aquifers. Already some 40 percent of Kuwait's freshwater supply are no longer drinkable.
Experts estimate Kuwait's strategic reserves at two days.
Worst of all, there is at present no technological fix for this problem. Copyright 2000, Jean-Michel Cousteau.