Beach battles: Jubail residents criticize shisha-smoking beach-goers (Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/AFP/Getty Images)

IT is my right to enjoy a clean beach was the motto of a recent campaign started by several Jubail residents against beach-goers who smoke shisha, or hubble-bubble, on the citys beaches.

The smokers are accused of polluting beaches with discarded coal and of denying others the right to enjoy a clean and smoke-free environment.

Speaking to Alsharq newspaper, local resident Abu Abdulrahman recalled an incident several days ago during which he and his family members were forced to leave the beach when they noticed a number of people preparing and getting ready to smoke shisha.

I was forced to leave the place immediately because I dont want my children around people who smoke.

The supervisory bodies in charge of beaches should crack down on any type of smoking on the seafront, he said.

According to Abdullah Al-Suwailim, another resident, families are staying away from beaches due to the presence of shisha smokers.

Despite the common belief that shisha is less harmful than cigarettes, said ENT consultant at Jubail General Hospital Dr. Ali Al-Najdi, there is a link between shisha smoke and lip cancer.

Al-Najdi said aside from lip cancer, shisha smokers can contract cancers of the mouth and urinary bladder.

While no official statistics are available on the number of shisha smokers in the Kingdom, estimates put the number of male and female Saudi shisha smokers at around 6 million.

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