How much food and water to store in Kuwait?

Short answer. Kuwait's General Directorate of Civil Defence advises stocking a temporary home shelter with bottled mineral water at 5 litres per person per day and ready-to-eat canned food with a long shelf life ¹. Its Safety Guide for Emergency sets the duration: food and fresh water for at least 2 days ². For a household of four, that is at least 40 litres of water.

What does Civil Defence recommend?

The recommendation comes from two official documents of the Ministry of Interior:

• The Arabic leaflet How to set up a temporary private shelter at home (2020) lists what to keep in the shelter, including "bottled mineral water sufficient for the people in the shelter at a rate of 5 litres per person per day" ¹.
• The older English and Arabic Safety Guide for Emergency gives the duration: "Sufficient amount of fresh water should be stored, for two days at least with five litres per person per day" ².

The full list, with lighting, communication, hygiene and comfort items, is on the official kit list page.

How much water is that for my household?

At 5 litres per person per day over the minimum 2 days ¹²:

Two days is the official minimum, not a ceiling ². Our guides compare the amounts other agencies recommend: How much water to store per person per day? and How to stock two weeks of supplies.

Where should supplies be kept?

Civil Defence links the supplies to the temporary private shelter at home: preferably a basement, otherwise a ground-floor room ¹. The leaflet also lists a refrigerator to cool water and store what is needed, and storage cabinets that can be fixed in place ¹. See Building a shelter in Kuwait.

For containers and rotation, see Which containers are safe for storing water? and How long does emergency food keep?.

What else does the official list include?

Beyond food and water, the leaflet lists medical supplies, a television with satellite receiver, a radio, landline and mobile phones, hand torches with spare batteries, a fire extinguisher, bedding, spare clothes, hygiene supplies, comfort items such as the Holy Quran, books and children's toys, and a bag for documents and valuables ¹. Every line is on the official kit list.

Frequently asked questions

How much water per person does Kuwait recommend?

5 litres per person per day, as bottled mineral water ¹.

For how many days should I store supplies?

At least 2 days, according to the Safety Guide for Emergency ².

Does Kuwait give a food quantity?

No weight or calorie figure. The leaflet asks for ready-to-eat canned food with a long shelf life, enough for the number of family members ¹, for at least 2 days ².

Is the Safety Guide for Emergency still current?

It is still online in Arabic and English, but it dates from 2016 (modified 2019) and lists the outdated 777 emergency number; the current number is 112. See Emergency contacts.

Sources

1. Ministry of Interior, General Directorate of Civil Defence — كيف تعد المخبأ الخاص المؤقت في المنزل (How to set up a temporary private shelter at home) — https://www.moi.gov.kw/main/content/docs/civildefence/ar/how-to-setup-a-temporary-shelter-at-home.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Ministry of Interior, General Civil Defence Department — Safety Guide for Emergency — https://www.moi.gov.kw/main/content/docs/civildefence/en/safety-guide-for-emergency.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)