Photography: RR
The bathing season started, in the municipality of Mafra, on June 12, and meanwhile the list of 53 “Zero Pollution beaches”, located in 30 municipalities in Portugal, was made known.
In the municipality of Mafra, more precisely in Ericeira and Santo Isidoro, there were two beaches that received this distinction: Baleia (or Sul) and Coxos.
On 43 beaches on the mainland, six in the Azores and four in Madeira, no microbiological contamination was detected during the analyzes carried out on the bathing waters over the last three bathing seasons.
all beaches are classified with excellent water quality.
The municipalities with the highest number of “Zero pollution” beaches are Alcobaça, Porto Santo and Tavira (four beaches) and Faro, Peniche, Sesimbra and Vila do Bispo, with three. The municipality of Torres Vedras had nine beaches removed from the list and Angra do Heroísmo (Azores) had five. For the second year in a row, there are no inland beaches on the list, “unlike the period from 2016 (the year in which the association started this evaluation) to 2019”.
This total of 53 beaches represents 8% of the total 643 bathing areas in operation in 2021 and a 22% decrease in the number of beaches compared to last year (in 2020, 68 beaches were distinguished). Zero – Sustainable Terrestrial System Association explained in a statement that “most of the time, at the expense of a single analysis where the presence of microorganisms was detected, even if very far from the limit value” these beaches “can no longer be considered Zero beaches pollution”. However, all beaches distinguished last year are classified, under the law, as beaches with “excellent” water quality.
Check here the complete list of Zero Pollution Beaches.
Esta publicação também está disponível em | This article is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
