Beach-goers asked to follow safety standards during Eid

By PMA  RASHEED 

15 Nov 2010, The Gulf Today

THE civic body in Dubai has alerted beach-goers during the Eid Al Adha days to adhere to safety measures so as to avoid disasters while celebrating the occasion.

This is in view of the significant increase in the number of visitors to the city’s open beaches, especially during the weekends, since the beginning of winter in November.

The authorities are equipped to ensure protection of the heavy turn out of beach-goers, especially those who come for swimming and relaxation, during the Eid holidays.

The Dubai Municipality (DM) on Sunday has called upon swimming enthusiasts to avoid swimming after sunset or in unstable weather conditions.

Alya AbdulRahim Al Harmoudi, head of the Coastal Zone and Waterways Management Section at the DM, advised swimmers to stay away from dipping near the breaking waves or rock barriers due to the strong currents near these areas in the season.

“All beach-goers should properly plan their trips, checking out the status of the sea or weather forecasts,” she said.

She suggested the public check the DM’s coastal zone monitoring web portal www.dubaicoast.ae, which displays real-time data on the status of the sea and meteorology, as well as aerial snapshots that show the developments in public beaches.

Al Harmoudi asked families and youth groups to abide by the conditions for swimming only in designated areas and to not go out further.

“In many of the open beaches, areas for swimming have been identified through floating buoys and ropes,” she noted.

“The visitors should also preserve the coastal environment and not leave garbage and leftovers of food on the beaches. DM has provided waste containers at all public beaches,” she added.

The Municipality recently set up about 50 new safety information signboards at different beach sites across the emirate, in order to enhance the procedures to better safeguard the lives of thousands of holidaymakers.

According to Al Harmoudi, the signboards educate beach-visitors of different nationalities and of different age groups about the methods of using the public beach and the safety measures to be taken.

“The umbrella-shaped signboards, designed to match with the coastal environment, have been put up in popular beaches including Al Mamzar Creek, Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al Sufouh and Dubai Marina,” she elaborated.

She pointed out, “The instructions clearly mention banned practices such as barbecuing, smoking shisha, lighting fires, overnight camping and taking animals to beaches.”

“This is to protect the coastal environment from pollution and to not disturb people who visit the beach with the aim of recreation or peace of mind,” she added.

(Pic by Nisham Manaf)