Thursday, September 2, 2010

A local doctor has said it will be  more than a week before Jumeirah beach is safe enough to be reopened to the public, unless the Municip-ality increases its cleaning efforts immediately.
Officials yesterday said that samples of the water collected from the beach - polluted due to the illegal dumping of sewage into storm drains by unscrupulous tanker drivers -  showed the presence of E Coli, a deadly bacteria responsible for the spread of diseases.
Dr Suresh Menon, a specialist in internal medicine from Jebel Ali Hospital, said it may take more than a week before the beach becomes clean enough for people to use.
“It’s serious,” he said. “The presence of E Coli indicates high contamination levels and people have to keep away from the water until it is cleaned.
“Officials have to use sterilisation and chlorination proc-esses to kill the bacteria. The entire process may take at least a week or more,” he added.
He said high tides in the sea may not be much help. “High tides may further spread the sewage along the beach, leading to the deposition of waste along the beach.
“The only possible solution in these circumstances is the pur-ification process which must be taken up urgently,” he said.
But a top official from Dubai Municipality told 7DAYS that E Coli bacteria found on part of Jumeirah Beach is within standard limits, and that authorities had closed the beach just as a precaution.
“Our tests have shown that E Coli bacteria is within the standard limit. To be on the safe side, we have closed the beach and asked people not to swim in the waters,” said Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, Head of the Marine Environment Unit.
He said only a portion of the beach next to Dubai Offshore Sailing Club was closed, leaving other beaches open.