Contractor caused sewage spill into sea

A construction contractor working without the required permit from authorities was responsible for a recent sewage spill into the sea, a top executive at Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC), told Gulf News yesterday. According to Alan Thomson, Managing Director of ADSSC, a contractor working for a telecommunication company, broke a main sewerage pipe, resulting in a spill in some areas of Abu Dhabi Island last week. Although the incident raised health and environmental concerns, the authorities yesterday confirmed that no adverse effects have been reported so far. Swimming, fishing and other activities in water have been temporarily banned at Al Bateen and Corniche East beaches as a precautionary measure. ADSSC was made aware of the incident on January 2 and took immediate action to shut down the pipe, the executive said. The pipe was fully repaired on January 5 and restored to service, he said. The estimated volume of spill equates to approximately 3 per cent of the total volume of flow, Thomson said.