The recent oil spill off the Saadiyat Island, fortunately deemed minor by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), nevertheless brings into focus an important environmental issue that affects marine-resource rich nations accidental oil spills that can lead to major consequences for marine life and the eco-system.
“The ability of the UAE in tackling oil spills is impressive thanks to its strong track record and state-of-the art facilities and with the recent case, it is working towards identifying the cause and source of the spills. This is crucial to containing further mishaps,” opines English language local daily, Gulf News, in its editorial on Saturday.
It adds that clean-up of a spill places an enormous strain on the time and resources of a country as it involves several approaches, including skimming vessels, use of dispersants through different mechanisms including helicopter sprays, to break up the spill and mop it up. As such, the sooner the cause of the spill is determined, the faster the preventive measures can be put into place.
The minor oil spill was detected by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the agency has now advised residents and visitors on the island to avoid swimming in the water.
The spill occurred along the St. Regis Sadiyaat Island Resort beach and the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas on Sadiyaat Island, with the St Regis confirming that while guests were allowed to use the beach, hotel lifeguards were preventing anyone from entering the water.
Â
The paper concludes “This will help ensure that the UAE coastline of which many parts, including the Saadiyat beach, have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status will be preserved, leading to a protected environment for its marine life.” WAM/Majok
