Dubai: Residents have raised concerns once again over the lack of public facilities such as toilets on Jumeirah Open beach.
Authorities meanwhile, have assured that once the Jumeirah Corniche Development Project is completed by November, beachgoers will no longer face such inconveniences.
The wide open stretch of the beach, which starts near Jumeirah Mosque up until Burj Al Arab Hotel, is divided into various sections. While parts of the beach are private and belong to several hotels along the strip — such as Dubai Marine Beach Resort and the Regent Beach Resort — the remaining areas are supervised by Dubai Municipality.
“I’ve been swimming at the beach for the last four years in the same area, and go regularly at the weekend. Last weekend, I was in a very unfortunate situation where I had to go to the bathroom and there was none available,” said Rana, who visits the public beach near the Regent Resort.
“This concern has been on my mind for a while because while some areas have toilets and showers, the beach strips after that, like the Kite Beach, have none. What are we supposed to do without any public facilities when we are outdoors all day?” she said.
As the weather becomes cooler and families start to hit the beaches and take advantage of the climate before summer starts in earnest, residents have the same concerns as in previous years.
Another resident, who faced a similar incident last week, was upset that some areas along Jumeirah Open Beach did not have any public facilities within a short distance of each other.
“The closest toilet was almost two kilometres away and there were no public facilities in sight. It’s great news that the expansion project will be completed in November, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime?” said Ayesha, a Saudi visitor.
Mohammad Al Fardan, Head of Public Parks Section at Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News that the municipality’s jurisdiction extends all across Jumeirah Open Beach up until Burj Al Arab.
“Everything under our department, up until the first stretch, is equipped with public facilities. The other areas are the responsibility of the Environmental Department at Dubai Municipality,” said Al Fardan.
Taleb Julfar, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture at Dubai Municipality, explained that the Jumeirah Corniche Development Project is being carried out by the Roads and Transport Authority, and confirmed that all beach areas will receive the necessary facilities upon completion by November.
The Dh100 million project began in mid-February, and is being transformed into a 14-kilometre stretch of paved walkway and jogging track to encourage residents and tourists to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
