MoI urges public to follow safety instructions during recreational trips

Public advised not to go near prohibited areas

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has called on citizens and residents wishing to have picnics to follow all safety guidelines and not approach prohibited areas, oil platforms and oil & gas fields, in order to ensure their safety that of their families. The advisory came in a statement by Colonel Khalifa Mohamed alAttiyah, director-general of Industrial Security at the MoI.

He stressed the need to adhere to safety rules and guidelines during land drives and sea surfing, noting that these rules and guidelines have been formulated to protect lives and property. The MoI official urged the users of marine vehicles and sea-goers to adhere to maritime safety rules to ensure their safety.

The most important of these are avoiding fishing, not driving marine vehicles in shipping lanes and prohibited areas and staying away from areas of operations or oil installations with a distance of not less than 500m.

He also urged people not to swim in places where there are signs prohibiting swimming and asked them to check, through the weather forecast, the state of the sea and water currents before going deep into the water. The official warned of the danger of water currents, referring to the area between the marine club in Dukhan and water desalination pumps as a particularly dangerous location.

There are other dangerous areas, despite the presence of guiding signs warning against swimming in those areas. However, some people take risks and may put their lives and the lives of their families at risk,” he said.

Colonel al-Attiyah said certain practices near oil installations and operations, and gas pipelines on land pose a danger to people and facilities, and represent a legal violation.

“There are some dangerous behaviours that must be avoided, including setting fires for any purpose or using fireworks,” he added. The official also urged falconry enthusiasts to stay away from petroleum installations in accordance with the law, and not to operate drones except in accordance with legal procedures and after obtaining a permit from the authorities concerned.