SHARJAH // Part of Sharjah's main beach has been closed to the public after four people drowned this year.
New barriers prevent swimmers reaching the water after it was ruled too dangerous. The ban will be in place throughout the summer and possibly longer.
"We have had a study with experts and found that most of the areas of the corniche, stretching to the Ajman/Sharjah border, are dangerous," said Capt Rashid bin Sandal, director general of the Sharjah Police Ambulance and Rescue Unit. "There are high tides and waves sweeping the area all the time that can pull even the best swimmer."
No decision has been taken on when the beach will reopen because authorities "need to be very sure there is safety in that area before it's opened", Capt bin Sandal said.
Eleven people died last year in waters off Sharjah. Capt bin Sandal said the number of incidents tended to rise during the summer.
The beach is a popular destination for families and tourists. In recent years residents have called on the authorities to do more to protect swimmers, such as stepping up lifeguard patrols and building watchtowers.
Rescuers are still searching for the body of a man who drowned off Al Khan beach on Saturday.
Police boats, the coast guard and a helicopter have all been involved in the search.
The missing man's two friends were pulled from the water by rescuers. Capt bin Sandal said the three men had been asked to get out of the water by a police patrol at the beach because of the dangerous conditions.
"When these men saw our patrol moving to warn other people they slipped back into the water and they got into trouble," he said. "These two men were saved by the fact we were at sea monitoring it and knew it was rough."
One of the rescued men, Saifulah from Pakistan, said he was grateful to officers for saving him.
A six-year-old Russian boy almost drowned last month while playing in the water off Al Khan beach. He spent more than two weeks in intensive care in Al Qassimi Hospital and is still recovering.
In a bid to prevent more incidents, authorities in the emirate have printed thousands of brochures in English and Arabic warning people not to ignore "no swimming" signs, not to go out into deep water and never to allow children to swim alone.
The brochures will be distributed in malls and schools and along beaches.
Capt bin Sandal said not only swimmers ran the risk of getting into trouble in the water. The police rescue unit also appealed to leisure sailors to follow safety instructions such as not to overload their vessel, ensure the boat was equipped with a first aid kit, fire extinguishers and enough life jackets, ensure they have enough fuel and that weather conditions at sea were safe before setting off.
ykakande@thenatinal.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Company%20Profile
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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