Dubai: The stream of rubbish along Dubai Creek has become an eyesore yet again due to persistent litterbugs, despite the civic body’s efforts in beefing up its management of waste.
According to residents, the unsightly litter pops up regularly on Friday and Saturday nights near the abra stations after scores of people visit the area on the weekend. However, commuters on their way to work the next day have no other choice but to see the scenic view littered with plastic bags, soda cans and empty water bottles strewn across the embankment.
“It has become a common occurrence to see lines of litter near the abra station every morning on my way to work, and it is ruining the view that we would otherwise have had. It would help a lot if more rubbish bins were placed along the street, and I think that would help people stop tossing their litter on the floor,” said Satyam Chibber, a resident for 12 years.
“This is not new, and this problem has been around for years. Maybe more awareness campaigns should be done, to educate people and stop their habits, because it’s a shame that such a popular location is always dirty,” said another resident, who declined to be named.
Abdul Majeed Saifaie, director of waste management department at Dubai Municipality, explained that an ongoing awareness campaign to tackle littering, particularly along the Creek and other popular sites such as Al Karama, has been running throughout the year. To put an end to such unhygienic habits, including spitting, municipal inspectors may slap a Dh500 on offenders.
The litter is not limited to the Creek’s embankment, as the municipality has also beefed up its measures on removing rubbish from the water.
“The rubbish thrown on the pavements ends up being blown into the Creek and spreads further, and we are constantly carrying out awareness campaigns so that people will stop this dreadful habit, which continues to persist,” said Saifaie.
“We carry out routine cleaning on a daily basis, which consists of two shifts, and have also recently raised the number of skimmers from four to eight to clean the rubbish from the water. We have skimmers of different sizes to tackle the different sizes of rubbish, as they are not limited to plastic bags and rubbish, and we have to constantly educate people on this issue.”
