A POLITICAL adviser in Yantian District suggested that the city government impose an entrance fee during peak seasons for Dameisha beach to reduce the number of visitors and protect the environment.

    During the fourth session of the Fourth Yantian District Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which opened Tuesday, adviser Li Yuanjun said Dameisha beach is now facing problems such as traffic congestion, overcrowding, dirtiness and water quality deterioration due to excessive numbers of tourists during holidays.

    “Shenzhen, as well as Guangdong, lags behind other coastal Chinese cities in maritime legislation. So far there are no regulations in the city regarding beach protection and management,” said Li at a panel discussion.

    “I have four points to suggest. The first three are legislation, law promoting and law enforcement. The last point is an administrative measure — imposing entrance fees,” Li said.

    As many as 200,000 people a day flood to Dameisha during the summer holiday. Yantian District has implemented a rule to cap the number of visitors to 50,000 at any given time during public holidays since 2009. But the desired effects weren’t achieved because people came and left the beach throughout the day, meaning the total number of visitors per day remained extremely high.

    Water quality at the beach failed tests in three consecutive weeks in June, when a massive number of people swarmed there. The daily number of visitors to the beach exceeded 100,000 during the first three weekends in June. More than 160,000 people visited the beach each day during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in June. The amount of fecal coliforms in the water far exceeded a safe level, making the water unsuitable for swimming.

    Environmental authorities said water pollution in Dameisha isn’t serious enough to cause health hazards, but “sensitive people” should be cautious.

    Opened in June 1999, the beach was designed to hold a maximum of 30,000 people a day, but the number of visitors has regularly exceeded 100,000 a day since 2003 and reached a record high of 320,000 in 2009.

    Overcrowding has jeopardized natural resources and the environment at the beach, officials said. The area has recorded red tides nine times since 2002.

    The district’s urban management bureau has submitted a proposal of a 30-yuan (US$4.84) entrance fee for each visitor from May to October to the district government for approval.

    “By charging a fee, we hope to control the visitor flow during the peak seasons and protect the environment,” a representative of the district’s urban management bureau said, adding that the fee would be used to manage the park, restore its environment and buy insurance for visitors.

    (Han Ximin)