Exciting news for summer – 31 beaches in South Africa will be awarded the sought after Blue Flag Status for 2009 / 2010.
The Blue Flag National Launch is being held at the Muizenberg Civic Centre tomorrow.
According to reports Cape Town can look forward to 7 beaches being given the award – last year we had 6: Clifton Fourth, Mnandi, Bikini in Gordon''s Bay, Muizenberg, Strandfontein and a section of Camps Bay.
Camps Bay
While we do have to wait until tomorrow to find out which beaches have been awarded, we can give you some background on the "Blue Flag"
What is the Blue Flag?
The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to over 3450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean.
The Blue Flag Programme is owned and run by the independent non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
The Blue Flag works towards sustainable development at beaches/marinas through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and other services.
The Blue Flag Programme includes environmental education and information for the public, decision makers and tourism operators.
South Africa''s Blue Flag History
The Blue Flag is awarded for one year only. Eighteen South African beaches were awarded Blue Flag status in 2007, 20 in 2006, 20 in 2005, 14 in 2004, eight in 2003, eight in 2002, and four in 2001.
Last Years Awards Went to:
Hobie Beach, Port Elizabeth
Humewood Beach, Port Elizabeth
Kelly''s Beach, Port Alfred
Kings Beach, Port Elizabeth
Wells Estate, north of Port Elizabeth
Marina/San Lameer Beach, South Coast
Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town
Clifton 4th Beach, Cape Town
Mnandi Beach, Cape Town
Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town
Strandfontein Beach, Cape Town
Muizenberg
Blue Flag Status Criteria
In order to make the grade, our winning beaches need to conform to the following criteria (info taken from the Blue Flag website)
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION
Information relating to coastal zone ecosystems and natural, sensitive areas in the coastal zone must be displayed
Information about bathing water quality must be displayed
Information about the Blue Flag Programme must be displayed
Code of conduct for the beach area must be displayed and the laws governing beach use must be easily available to the public upon request
A minimum of 5 environmental education activities must be offered
WATER QUALITY
Compliance with the requirements and standards for excellent bathing water quality
No industrial or sewage related discharges may affect the beach area
Monitoring on the health of coral reefs located in the vicinity of the beach
Compliance of the community with requirements for sewage treatment and effluent quality
Algae or other vegetation should be left to decay on the beach unless it constitutes a nuisance
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
A beach management committee must be established to be in charge of instituting environmental management systems and conduct regular environmental audits of the beach facility
The beach must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach (coastal zone planning and environmental legislation)
The beach must be clean
Waste disposal bins/receptacles must be available on/by the beach in adequate numbers, regularly maintained and emptied
Facilities for receiving recyclable waste materials must be available on/by the beach
Adequate and clean sanitary facilities with controlled sewage disposal
On the beach there will be no unauthorised camping or driving and no dumping
Regulation concerning dogs and other domestic animals on the beach must be strictly enforced
All buildings and equipment of the beach must be properly maintained
Sustainable means of transportation must be promoted in the beach area
SAFETY AND SERVICES
An adequate number of lifeguards and/or lifesaving equipment must be available at the beach
First aid equipment must be available on the beach
There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents
An emergency plans to cope with pollution safety risks must be in place
There must be safe access to the beach
The beach area must be patrolled
A supply of potable drinking water must be available on the beach
A minimum of one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have access and toilet facilities provided for disabled persons
Map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed
(Photo credits go to Joy-Anne Goodenough)
1 Response to Which South African beach will be awarded Blue Flag status for 2009-2010?
It is good news; one of the requirements for Blue Flag beaches to retain their annual Blue Flag status is the need to offer a minimum of five environmental education activities. The activities should target different groups, such as tourists, beach staff, children and visitors.
Regards,
By Honeymoon bed breakfast (5 years ago)