DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has announced plans to develop four beaches for families in Qatar — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. The facilities will be built in Al Wakra, Simaisma, Fuwayrit and Al Kharaij, reported a local Arabic daily. The announcement came in response to public complaints about the severe shortage of leisure spots in the country. Simaisma is a coastal village located 40km north of Doha near Al Khor. Fuwayrit is located about 80km from Doha in the north, on the way to Al Shamal. The coastal line is characterised by a sandy bay and unusual formations of eroded hills that run down to the water’s edge. All the four spots have great potential to become tourist attractions with their traditional ambience and pristine beauty. It has been pointed out that nationals and expatriates have been forced to go out of the country to spend the summer holidays in the absence of adequate entertainment spots in the country. Even the few beaches that are frequented by visitors during the holidays lack basic facilities such as shaded resting areas, parking lots, bathrooms, restaurants as well as safety requirements. The urgent need for first aid and ambulance services at the beaches has been raised during several discussions on the issue in the past. Another major issue has been the total absence of family-only public beaches in the country. Now the authorities seem to have come forward to address these issues. The new family beaches will have the necessary facilities including cafeterias, restaurants and resting sheds. They will also be provided with security posts, ambulance services for emergencies and, more importantly, rescue services. Dustbins will be placed at all beaches to keep the areas clean and environment friendly, said the daily. Several nationals and expatriates have welcomed the announcement and hope that the beaches would be ready by the next summer. THE PENINSULA

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