The beaches of Vale Olival, Nossa Senhora da Rocha, Vale Centeanes, Carvoeiro, Caneiros, Praia Grande (Ferragudo), in the municipality of Lagoa, were the first in the Algarve to fly the Blue Flag, in 2019, during ceremonies that took place on Monday. fair.
The six bathing areas in Lagos are among the 88 in the Algarve that have been awarded the Blue Flag, an award that attests to «the excellence and compliance with a rigorous set of criteria for environmental information and education, water quality, environmental management and equipment, and safety and services» of the beaches, according to the Câmara de Lagoa.
Of these beaches, two – Carvoeiro and Nossa Senhora da Rocha – were also awarded the Accessible Beach flag. In this case, the award is given to bathing areas that “comply with a set of rules that facilitate the use of the beaches by people with disabilities”.
People with reduced mobility who go to these two beaches will be able to use the amphibious chairs, "which will allow this special group of users to go to the baths".
The two beaches also have «walkways designed to be comfortably passable, even by wheelchairs» and that give access «to concession areas and comfort zones».
On Carvoeiro beach, in addition to the two flags, the Blue and the Accessible Beach, vertical and horizontal signage will also be installed again, within the scope of the “Carvoeiro Beach – Safety” project, with the objective of «limiting conflicts of use and safety among bathers and the nautical activities of maritime-tourism and recreational support operators».
The signs to be placed will serve to "signal the maneuver on land of the vessels and mark out the areas reserved for maritime-tourism and fishing", explained the municipality.
In the same bathing area, a prototype of the UV index totem will be inaugurated, «which aims to automatically alert to the danger of ultraviolet radiation along the beach, avoiding the need for its signaling through flags».
This is a project conceived by students from the ESPAMOL school grouping, «a work in progress that will culminate in the construction and distribution of several totems along the municipality's beaches».
On Monday, the Municipality of Lagoa also signed two protocols related to bathing areas, one of them in cooperation with the Portuguese Environment Agency for "the execution of a complementary program for monitoring the bathing waters of the Municipality of Lagoa", which will enable «preventive action in situations of contamination».
The other protocol was signed with the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos and the Captaincy of the Port of Portimão, and its purpose is “to define the terms for the transfer of a watercraft, donated to the ISN by the Vodafone Foundation, with a view to strengthening the capacity of the guarantee of assistance to bathers in the unsupervised area of Benagil beach and adjacent beaches'.
In parallel, "the municipality will put into service a second personal watercraft that will allow lifeguards at the service of the municipality to patrol the coastline between Praia Grande, near Nossa Senhora da Rocha beach, and Praia do Carvalho" , added the Chamber of Lagoa.
Photos: Lagoon Chamber
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