Monday, Jul 03, 2017

Dubai: Based on the tremendous public feedback received by the Night Swimming Beach at Umm Suqeim, the Director General of Dubai Municipality has instructed to prepare a new night swimming facility at Al Mamzar Beach, the civic body announced on Monday.

“The Night Swimming Beach initiative launched by Dubai Municipality recently at Umm Suqeim area has witnessed a remarkable success, which was reflected in the increased number of beach users in the evening, who came to the beach for swimming in the Gulf waters at night away from the sun and high temperatures during the day,” said Alia Al Harmoudi, director of the Environment Department at Dubai Municipality.

She said Al Mamzar is chosen for the new Night Swimming Beach as it is easily accessible to the residents of Deira area and also by taking into consideration the positive outcome of the project in achieving the happiness of the beach visitors and supporting the tourism movement in the emirate.

“Since the inauguration of the Umm Suqeim Night Swimming Beach in March, we have noticed the great demand from families to visit the beach, especially from Arab families. The beach is an [avenue] that allows families to take their children to enjoy a unique fun experience in summer without the exposure to sun, and in a safe environment in terms of availability of all elements and requirements of security and safety. Al Mamzar Night Swimming Beach will also have similar facilities,” said Al Harmoudi.

During the Eid Al Fitr holidays, she said, the Umm Suqeim Night Beach witnessed a large crowd of visitors of different nationalities, who came to enjoy the night swimming atmosphere.

Al Harmoudi said Dubai Municipality has been keen to equip the beach with an integrated safety and rescue system in accordance with international standards to ensure a safe environment for visitors.

“The facilities include a main rescue station and a qualified crew of lifeguards equipped with all safety, rescue, ambulance and communication equipment, as well as beach and water rescue bikes that ensure a safe environment for beach visitors. It is worth mentioning that swimming at night is prohibited on the public beaches in the Emirate of Dubai because it poses a danger to the safety of beach goers , except for the beach mentioned and equipped specifically for this purpose,” she said.

“The Umm Suqeim Night Beach is considered the first of its kind in the world due to its smart and environmentally friendly design as it relies only on clean energy generated from wind and sun. Two solar and wind-powered smart poles have been installed on the beach to automatically provide high density light, in addition to smart changing rooms that generate electricity using solar and wind power,” said Al Harmoudi.

The Umm Suqeim Night Beach, which operates daily from sunset until midnight, is located in a prime location in the heart of the city in Umm Suqeim - 1 area, just a kilometer away from the Burj Al Arab Hotel.

Staff Report

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