Daily Dispatch
Raise a Blue Flag for beach safety
THE logic is pretty straightforward, yet there still seems little effort by the governing authorities to get to grips with, or even understand, the logic.
This is the subject of managing beach safety and quality in a consistent and sustainable way.
Occasionally there are flashes that a governing authority is waking up to the importance and value of beach quality and safety.
The latest came from Port St Johns where the municipality slapped a ban on booze at what is rated one of the most deadly beaches in the world, and also strictly controlling traffic to the beach. PSJ is spending about R600 000 on hiring lifeguards, which together with the O R Tambo district municipality will bring the total number of lifeguards for the season to 65.
Nelson Mandela Bay has also banned booze from its beaches and has improved access control.
Buffalo City, by contrast, made at best a halfhearted effort last year to ban liquor from the ever-popular Eastern Beach – but backtracked in the face of strident demands by the ANC Youth League, who believed beachgoers would not be able to enjoy themselves without booze.
Why should beach safety and quality be an issue? The answer is simple: beaches are Eastern Cape’s biggest tourism asset, and tourism should be the biggest job spinner and money-earner.
We think that is a little more important than a one-off day of drunken revelry.
Safety and quality fun time is at the top of any family’s agenda travelling with children to the coast for a holiday of sun, sea and sand, and the more chance they have of doing just that in our region, the more likely they will travel here.
According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), every year an average of 600 children die from drowning in South Africa. Ten times that number survive, but not all fully recover.
Last year until January this year, there were 22 fatal drownings, including eight children. Six of those fatalities were in rip currents in the sea.
The busiest days for the NSRI are between Christmas and New Year days, and alcohol abuse is most certainly a major contributing factor.
If BCM is truly serious about beach quality and safety, it should set its sights on ensuring every public beach within its boundary is awarded Blue Flag status by the international Foundation for Environmental Education.
This is because the Blue Flag criteria lay down detailed specifications and standards for water quality, safety, environmental education and information that are recognised around the world.
Environmental education and information relates to maintaining sensitive coastal zone ecosystems and bathing water quality, which includes no industrial or sewage related discharges affecting a bathing beach.
It also means beaches are kept clean and tidy, and have an adequate number of lifeguards and equipment available. Importantly this includes proper beach management of different users and uses of the beach to prevent conflicts and accidents. Drinking alcohol and swimming do not mix very well.
These standards go further than just looking after a beach. To be sustainable, planning has to drill back into issues of sewage disposal, transport, public access control and safety.
Far from hampering enjoyment, Blue Flag standards are designed to ensure all beachgoers can enjoy a beach safely and responsibly.
Is this not what we should be aiming for?