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Dubai: The municipality has ordered the closure of the beach near the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) after tests confirmed higher than normal levels of E.coli bacteria in the water.
Raw sewage illegally dumped in storm water drains across the city had earlier sparked contamination fears in and around the beach.
The open beach to the right of the DOSC has been closed after the number of coliforms in the water were found to be in excess of normal levels, said Mohammad Abdul Rahman Hassan, Head of the Marine Environment Protection Section at the Dubai Municipality.
"We took three samples today and the results should be available in three days. Some tests done earlier suggest that the levels [of bacteria] are a little bit on the higher side," Hassan told Gulf News.
"The beach is closed until further notice. It is difficult to say how long that will be," he said. "All the other beaches are OK. There is only one closed."
Abdul Majeed Safaee, said the storm drain would be temporarily closed and subjected to periodic checks to prevent any more sewage from being discharged on the beaches.
The DOSC management however complained that the sewage continued to spill into the harbour and the surrounding beaches.
"I was aghast to find that the municipality opened the storm water pipe this morning at 11.15am and let it run into the beach and harbour for an hour today," said Keith Mutch, DOSC manager.
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