Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Corniche is visited regularly by a lot of people and visitors on weekdays, weekends and on special occasions. But, some of the safety railings are loose and some of the wired ropes are rusted in a few areas around the corniche (as seen in photograph). These wires are thus breaking over time and this is a serious concern as far as the safety of the visitors is concerned.
The tourists and people going for a walk or jog are all at risk. Additionally, young children, if not attended by parents, can easily fall into the sea.
This area is frequented by visitors and residents to enjoy the waves and also take photographs of the flying seagulls and surroundings. Many seagulls, with their wings interweaved, are a photographer’s delight and always a pleasure and many amateur photographers come by to watch them floating near the shore.
I spoke to one of the visitors at the corniche, who didn’t wish to be named. He said: “We are careful about our children, but accidents can still happen any time. The authorities should do something to fix this issue.”
Many fishing enthusiasts gather here, although it is not officially allowed, and many people who are walking past stop to watch. These people keep one leg over the wire rope and watch the fishing rods. They even tread the wire rope for balancing and throwing the string and hook into the water. When they come across a broken wire, they are aware of the consequences and so change their location conveniently.
A similar safety issue occurred sometime in 2013 and when reported as a community report in Gulf News, the Abu Dhabi Municipality swung into action and got the railing repaired. But, what happened to the guarantee period of the work? Is there no maintenance team to check the fences periodically? The wired ropes are rusted and in the future, we will have to go with some other safety railings to ward off the dangers.
This issue is important to me because I don’t want something bad to happen and repent later. This is a prime area for the residents and visitors of Abu Dhabi. This time, too, the authorities should take care and get the matter solved before any mishap occurs. I hope urgent remedial measures will follow from the concerned authorities without further delay.
— The reader is based in Abu Dhabi.
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The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of Abu Dhabi Municipality. They immediately investigated the matter and responded.
They stated: “The Advanced Marketing and Corporate Communications Office offers the newspaper its best regards and appreciation. With reference to your request to respond to the reader’s complaint about the fence protection at the Abu Dhabi Corniche area, we are delighted to inform you that we brought a group of municipality workers to monitor the damage firsthand and are directing the contractor concerned to repair the damage immediately in order to preserve the integrity of the visitors of the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Photographs from the maintenance and repair are provided. We assure you of our commitment to strengthen cooperation relations with you in all fields.”
