Some Blue Flag beaches and marinas drop off the list due to sewage issues. But others sign up.
South Africa is proud of its Blue Flag footprint – a total of 57 Blue Flags made up of 51 beaches, four marinas and two tourism boats. The Blue Flag is a ‘badge of honour’ awarded to sites that conform to an environmental sustainability checklist. It is voluntary status available to participating municipalities or businesses which may submit sites or vessels for inspection.
However this year saw some former Blue Flag sites drop off the list due to water quality issues – sewerage spills, to be more precise. The matter was addressed by Helena Atkinson, chief executive of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, at the organisation’s annual Blue Flag Programme Awards. “One of the key challenges over the past season included sewerage related issues, which can often result in water quality sample failures,” Atkinson said. “Water quality is an important factor in retaining a beach’s Blue Flag status, because only excellent bathing water quality is accepted. Unfortunately, some beaches have fallen off the programme due to non-compliant water quality.”
“WESSA is committed to working closely with these municipalities to help address the root cause of the issue and get those sites back on the programme in order to achieve excellent bathing water standards that’s safe for both South Africans and international tourists visiting our beaches,” Atkinson said.
As a result of water quality issues eThekwini Municipality did not forward any of its beaches for Blue Flag status for the upcoming season. The same applied to Harbour Island marina in Gordon’s Bay.
However on the plus side the local Blue Flag Programme has a long list of new pilot sites. “Twenty pilot sites were recognised this year for working towards meeting the minimum requirements for Blue Flag status,” WESSA said in a statement. “There were also three beaches who received certificates for being awarded Blue Flag for 10 consecutive years: Preekstoel in Hessequa, De Bakke in Mossel Bay and Kings in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Atkinson said WESSA aimed to work closely with municipalities to covert the pilot sites into international Blue Flag sites. “With additional funding support, WESSA could help these sites achieve the goal of being an international site of excellence,” Atkinson said. “We will continue to work closely with these sites to understand their challenges and ensure they have the support to move forward,” she said.
Worldwide there are 5042 Blue Flag beach, marina and tourism boats.