Dubai - Beaches in Dubai have long been a magnet for travellers seeking sea, sun and sand. But beach-goers in the Gulf emirate recently got more than they bargained for - stinking sewage.
Now an environmental lobby group wants to clean up the image not only of Dubai's beaches but of those all along the coastline of the United Arab Emirates, by awarding blue flags for sparkling waters.
"Tourists would like to come to Blue Flag-labelled beaches because (the award) is a sign of safety and care for the environment," says Maisoun al-Sharif, programme co-ordinator for the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS).
"Those beaches will be receiving more tourists and they will look better," he adds.
Under the Blue Flag Programme launched by the EWS in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, managers of public or private beaches and marinas can apply to be awarded the top rating, provided they meet internationally-set standards that guarantee water cleanliness and quality.
Six months ago Dubai was hit by the foul whiff of a scandal when it was found that a stretch of Jumeirah beach lining the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club area was sullied by raw sewage spewing out of a pipeline extending from an inland industrial zone.
The discovery forced the closure of the part of the beach for a month and a half as officials sought to get to the bottom of the problem.
Eventually the Dubai municipality found that drivers of trucks carrying the waste were emptying the slops into the pipeline that opens into the sea instead of waiting for long hours at the city's only sewage treatment plant.
Although some truck drivers have been arrested and fined by the government, the coastline is still suffering from the discharged chemicals, oil and rubbish, according to Keith Mutch, head of the Sailing Club.
Tests conducted at the end of January showed that the water was still contaminated, Mutch says, lamenting that the authorities have not launched a suitable clean-up programme.
"This is black and that's blue," Mutch says as he points to the difference between the water in the club's marina, where dozens of boats lie, and the open sea beyond.
"Although the water is one million percent better than it was one month ago, I estimate that this beach will take five to seven years to recover to how it was a year ago," he adds. - AFP