By Julia Wheeler
BBC News, Dubai
Down on the beach next to the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club and the fishing harbour there's a stink: raw sewage is flowing into the sea close to prime tourist beaches.
The putrid problem is caused by the illegal dumping of untreated sewage in Dubai's inland storm drain network, as the city's rapid growth outstrips its infrastructure.
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Truck drivers who are paid by the lorry load to collect waste from the city's septic tanks wait for several hours to dispose of their foul cargo legally.
There simply is not the capacity to deal with all the human waste the city dwellers produce.
After dark some drivers are taking a shortcut and dumping their loads straight into manholes meant only for rainwater.
The result is raw sewage flowing directly into the once-clear blue sea of the Gulf - right next to prime swimming beaches.
This is bad news for a city which depends on the tourists who flock to its shores.
'Within the standard'
The city's municipality has already closed one beach and says it is trying to catch the culprits.
It has imposed fines of up to $25,000 and threatened to confiscate tankers if the dumping persists.
Despite the waste bobbing on the waves and lapping the shore, the municipality maintains that its latest test results show samples of the water are "within the standard".
But independent tests arranged by the sailing club show the water to be highly contaminated with bacteria and the human faeces floating in the sea.
So far there has been no contamination found near the city's five-star hotel strip but that is just a short distance along the beach and the pollution is expected to get worse.
Only one storm water outlet is currently open but when the first rain comes to Dubai this winter other parts of the system, including those near the smart hotels will also need to be used.
No-one yet knows exactly what those pipes might contain but everyone is hoping that something can be done before there is a need to find out.
(BBC)
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