Abu Dhabi: An oil spill kept many swimmers away from the beaches on Saadiyat Island for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday.
“Many visitors were going back since Saturday when we told them swimming was not allowed on the beaches due to oil spill,” the staff at the Public Beach on Saadiyat Island told Gulf News.
“Others who came to just relax on the beach still purchased the entry tickets and went in,” said the staff who did not want to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
When Gulf News visited the Public Beach on Wednesday afternoon, more than 50 people were seen relaxing on the dry areas of the beach.
Entry to ticket costs Dh25 for adults and Dh15 for children between 6 and 12 years old. Entry is free for children under six.
As Gulf News reported on Wednesday, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA) issued beach closure orders for properties along Saadiyat Beach after oil washed up over the weekend. ADTCA said on Tuesday that it was working closely with the relevant authorities to monitor the situation, with a view to reopening the beaches as soon possible.
The Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD) said it was a minor oil spill, which was reported on Friday. EAD officials visited the site, collected water samples and started investigations into the cause of oil spill. However, the authorities did not explain what the source of the spill is.
The agency spokesperson said on Wednesday that investigations were still going on. ADTCA was not available for comments.
The cleaners on the beach said they found pieces of tar washed up on the beach. They suspected the tar might have spilt from a ship, but no official conformation was available.
Some of the visitors were disappointed at not being able to swim.
“We used to come to the beach and swim frequently. Now we are going back after relaxing on the beach for a while,” said a European resident in Abu Dhabi who visited the public beach with his three family members.
But the staff said most of the visitors during the winter prefer relaxing and sunbathing to swimming because the water is too cold.
“Most of them simply sit under the umbrella, read or sleep.”
But there will be huge rush of swimmers from April when temperature goes up, they said.
Saadiyat Island, located near Port Zayed in Mina area of Abu Dhabi City, has many residential, cultural and tourism projects. The island is expected to have about 160,000 residents by 2018, upon completion of all projects. Hundreds of residents have already occupied residential projects.
