Why you can’t smoke shisha on Dubai beaches anymore

Smoking shisha in public areas such as parks, beaches and other recreational centres will be penalised with a Dh500 fine.

Dubai Municipality yesterday announced that as part of its efforts to raise public health and safety levels in Dubai it has started imposing fines on violators of the rule as a mechanism to control bad practices such as smoking shisha in public areas.

Talib Abdul Kareem Julfar, Director of the Public Parks and Horticulture Department said that a special team of 23 officers has been formed to carry out inspections at beaches and in public parks, and people smoking shisha in these areas will be slapped with a Dh500 fine.

Julfar urged all visitors of these areas to maintain cleanliness and refrain from activities and practises that pose a risk to public health and safety.

“We have adopted policies and implemented several kinds of programs and initiatives apart from imposing laws and regulations in this regard,” he said.

Earlier this year, Dubai Municiaplity had issued a ban on shisha smoking in residential areas and areas near to schools and mosques. Further, commercial premises that are licensed to serve shisha have been restricted in doing so with a set of new rules.

An official of the Dubai Health Authority said earlier that a tobacco-free Dubai is envisaged for the future and these rules and regulations indicate that Dubai is slowly moving in that direction.

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