The Wakrah Family Beach, a favourite hangout of many Qatar residents, is becoming increasingly polluted, especially during the holiday season as visitors leave behind large quantities of waste, including charcoal used for barbecue.

On a visit to the beach yesterday morning, a team from Gulf Times found empty plastic bottles, cups, cigarette butts and leftover charcoal among other things spilled all over, making the whole area dirty.

Though the cleaners had been at work, a considerable quantity of refuse was still seen spread around. One thing that makes the place highly polluted is the leftover charcoal. So many groups prepare barbecue in the evenings. In the process they also leave a lot of charcoal spilled over the entire beach.

Though there are specified areas and fireplaces for cooking, many people use various parts of the beach for the purpose. This makes it difficult for the beach staff to clean the area thoroughly. In the process, the leftover charcoal gets mixed with the white sand.

Though Qatar has banned public smoking and the Wakrah Beach is meant for families, cigarette butts could be seen strewn around everywhere. Since so many children visit the place along with their parents, they all are sure to be affected by passive smoking.

Many families who had visited the beach during the Eid holidays complained that toilet facilities were inadequate, especially when there is a big turnout.

“Hundreds of people could be seen visiting the beach especially in the late afternoon and we had to wait in queue before the toilets. Most of the toilets were filthy and many of us could not withstand the foul smell,” said one lady who visited the place during the recent holidays.

Another visitor to the beach said that the road to the beach was “horrible and frightening”.

“It is a horrifying experience driving through the narrow stretch of the approach road to the beach as there is not enough space for another vehicle from the opposite side to pass through. I took a deep breath once I was through. Above all, the last stretch of the road is still not tarred and we have to drive through the rough terrain.”

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QNE

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