I have often written on the subject of beaches, they are part of my ethos. There is nothing like a refreshing beach, even if you don’t want to swim, but just walk, feel your toes in the sand, let the shore breezes, wash away your daily concerns.
The beach is part of the lifestyle, and the main ones, to which tourists and locals in thousands gravitate, like Bondi, and Manly, are daily preened by special beach cleaning equipment.
Any rubbish inadvertently left behind, is cleaned up, before the first tourist and regular users, arrive.
There is real pride in having such a pristine facility; people are generally responsible, placing litter in the amply provided bins.
That is the way it should be, it is part of the culture.
Therefore, when I read some MPs advocating, that all of Bahrain’s beaches, should be declared accessible to the public, I thought, Admirable but “Oh oh, that hound is not going to hunt.”
Old expats tell, one of the joys of living in Bahrain, was the access people had to “Shaikh Isa’s Beach.”
The leader himself, often arrived, and gave cool drinks to the bathers.
It was always, much appreciated.
So too, if you were fortunate enough to have friends, members of the various sports facilities at the Ritz Carlton, or the Sofitel, they might invite you for a swim, a light lunch, or the vantage point, to watch a flyby of the Red Arrows.
Times have moved on, and now there are many residences, which go right down to the water’s edge, many along the West Coast.
The MPs, also want access to artificially created islands, and for the public to use associated beaches.
There was, I recall from my time in Bahrain, a photo showing the shoreline places, which were simply “out of bounds” to the public.
It was extensive.
Even in Bahrain, with its open media access to much in the country, the photograph was soon withdrawn.
It trod on some mighty large toes!
So I am sure any such MPs’ requests, will meet the same application of regulations, by the Shura Council, and the government.
Nice try, but no biscuit.
In my time, we took our dogs down to the Budaiya beach, and were always put off, by the enormous amount of rubbish on the “beach”, indicative of the mentality, of just “drop it and some little worker, will pick it up.”
Even the rationalisation, that it was providing employment for someone!
As though knowing it was littering, but it was somehow, useful littering!
Also, if you were foolish enough, to go into the water, the rubbish was there too, and the bottom was invariably mud.
Much work, dredging and cleaning, must be done, making it a working beach, hopefully with a coffee shop, food outlets, maybe a little children’s park, providing for swimmers and their families.
A clean beach, and facilities, so that tourists and residents, can enjoy it with pride.
winfredpeppinck@gmail.com