Dubai Beaches Contaminated Again

A section of public beach near a sailing club was closed yesterday to let inspectors find out what contaminated the water.

Beach users said the water was black and Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, the head of marine environment and wildlife section at the municipality, confirmed that inspectors had noticed “decolourised” water in the area and closed the beach.

Water samples were collected from the stretch along the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club area. Test results will determine whether the beach can be reopened.

“We took fresh samples today and the results will be out in the coming days. This means that the stretch of the beach area will remain closed for at least the next two days,” Mr Hassan said.

The contaminant apparently was in discharges from a storm-water drainage pipe. Industrial waste dumped into the pipeline could be one of the causes, he said. The beach next to the sailing club was shut by municipal ­officials in September last year when sewage illegally dumped by tanker drivers into the city’s storm drains flowed into the sea…SOURCE

Lootah says, Dubai Beaches are Clean

Dubai’s ‘beaches are clean’

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/02/02/10281264.html

02/02/2009 08:07 AM | By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter

Dubai: Dubai’s beaches are clean and free of pollution, said chief of the civic authority Hussain Nasser Lootah, dispelling fresh reports that beaches are tainted with sewage water.

“Beach goers should not worry at all as Dubai beaches are absolutely safe for swimming and the issue of sewage dumping was resolved a month ago,” Lootah told reporters on Sunday.

He said the water samples from the beaches were tested recently and were cleared of any pollutants harmful for human health.

“We took very serious note of illegal dumping of sewage by some sewage tanker drivers in the storm drains opening in the sea. At least 208 sewage tankers were issued fines,” said Lootah, who has recently been appointed as Director General of the Dubai Municipality.

Dubai’s Big Stink- Dealing With the Sewage Problem

The picture of ‘High Life’ Dubai turns grim as one passes along the many labour accommodations in the Al Quoz and Sonapur areas.

These men, toiling every day in the construction industry to make Dubai the most happening city in the world, are literally living amidst foul smell, raw sewage and dirt for months now.

Though the Dubai Municipality has, and is taking several steps to contain the problem, the menace does not seem to cease.

It is not only the labourers who are caught in this awkward situation but also residents who go through this mucky situation everyday of their life. Residential areas such as the International City have also been hard hit by the sewage hazard.

For the last three months, labourers in Al Quoz and Sonapur have bitterly complained of living amidst sewage waste in their vicinity with stench emanating from it.

The civic body has however directly blamed owners of these labour accommodations, for negligence and not taking the necessary precaution of emptying cess-pit tanks in time, thus resulting in an overflow.

“The sewage problem remains unsolved because the companies responsible to collect the waste from the respective accommodations have not done so. This causes the accumulation and overflow from the tanks to the roads,” said Salem Mesmar, the Assistant Director General for Health, Safety and Environment Control Sector.

These accommodations are not properly connected to the drainage system and the companies responsible for the discharge of sewage waste from labour accommodations to the Al Awir Sewage Treatment Plant have failed to comply with the requirements.

Since these tankers make between Dh1500 to Dh2000 per trip, the tanker drivers find it convenient to discharge the waste in open areas, so that they can rush to make more trips. A source claimed that they sometimes have to wait in the queue for 6 to 7 hours.

This menace has also caused a severe health hazard forcing the civic body to act tough…SOURCE

Travel Heads-Up For Desert Palm Resort,Dubai: It Stinks, Literally

Here is how the Desert Palm Resort describes itself:

Chic luxury emerges from a dramatic desert landscape.

Contrast. The vast sandscapes of the Arabian landscape versus the lush surrounds of green in an extensive polo property. The conventional opulence of Dubai luxury hotels versus signature Per Aquum chic subtly merged with the elegant forms of local architecture and design.

Set amidst green fields and palm trees, Desert Palm offers sensually designed accommodation – Arabia touched with the avant-garde…SOURCE

Well this is true, if avant-garde means the close proximity to Dubai’s smelliest spot.  The Al Aweer sewage plant sits in close proximity.  The National recently described the sewage plant this way:

Sewage tanker drivers admitted yesterday that some of them were dumping waste water illegally around Dubai to avoid queues of up to 18 hours at the city’s only treatment plant.

The problem of illegal dumping was highlighted at the weekend when the beach next to the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club was closed because of sewage contamination. Dubai Municipality warned bathers not to use the beach for health reasons and promised swift action against the offending sewage operators.

However, tanker drivers told The National the problem would continue until the capacity of Al Aweer treatment plant was raised.

“It’s a nightmare for us doing this job. No one can blame a driver for getting frustrated and dumping the waste illegally,” said Omar Khan, who had spent 10 hours at the plant yesterday queuing to discharge his load.

The treatment plant sees nearly 10,000 sewage tankers lining up to empty their waste each day. With just over 40 sewage discharge pumps, drivers say they have to wait between 10 to 18 hours to dispose of one load.

“The line is getting longer with each passing day,” said Ayaz Mohammed, another driver. “The stations operate 24 hours a day but it is still not sufficient to meet the demand of the city.”

The drivers collect sewage water from labour camps in Sonapur, Al Quoz, Jebel Ali, Al Rashidiya and also from other locations in the city.

Desperate to empty their tankers, the drivers sometimes try to overtake each other as they jockey for position in line. This can lead to street fights and even serious accidents.

“These big truck try to overtake each other and in the process hit each other and have often almost run over people,” said another driver. Traffic fines of Dh500 (US$136) to Dh1,000 have not stopped them recklessly racing up to the plant. “It’s a dangerous place to be at night as people just violate rules to get to the stations,” he said.

Drivers said that those queuing up at night often got so tired of waiting they simply disposed of the waste at the side of the road and left.

“In the night, many just open the taps and let the waste flow on the road or the parking areas. This is why there is a strong stench in this area all the time,” a driver said…SOURCE

Traveling through the area tonight, the stench was so bad (in a sealed, air-conditioned car with environmental filtering) that I nearly vomited.  Not ewww it smells, but the smell that signals totally losing your lunch.

God bless the owners of the resort.  I feel for them.  I have only one thing to offer our readers, caveat emptor.

Sphere: Related Content

Here’s the Latest Poop on the Lagoons: No Srsly, POOP!

Courtesy of our friends at Life in Dubai.

The Poo Lagoons.

In another of our Great Moments In Planning, the planners forgot to include sewage treatment plants in Dubai’s Master Plan.

As has been extensively reported, tanker drivers have been unwilling to queue all day at our one and only treatment plant and have been dumping their unpleasant loads anywhere they could.

Beaches have been closed, boaties have been unable to sail and Dubai’s vital tourist trade hasn’t been helped by the international coverage of it.

But now we have a ‘medium term solution’ – a big hole in the ground where 500 tankers a day can discharge.

No, sorry, not a hole in the ground. It’s ‘a temporary lagoon which has been engineered, with contractors working on it’.

The site will be aerated naturally with only preliminary treatment. Reeds and bamboo will be planted to transfer oxygen to the sewage and help break it down…