Bathing on Portuguese beaches? Not this year
13 August 2024
If you thought of bathing on a Portuguese beach this summer, chances are you cannot. Out of the 664 bathing waters monitored in the country, 41 beaches have been closed due to poor water quality – seven more than in 2023.
This decision was taken due to the high levels of harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia coli or intestinal enterococci, that cause serious illness and are used as a parameter to assess the water quality. This is the same bacteria that was found in the Seine River during the Olympics.
But why does such harmful microbiology increase? When wastewater is disposed of improperly or illegally, discharges are dumped into the sea – especially in densely populated urban areas – and contaminate the water, leading to bacterial growth. Outdated sewage systems also contribute, for example, when untreated wastewater flows into rivers.
Portugal has repeatedly failed to comply with the EU’s obligations on wastewater treatment and the current declining water quality is a direct result of such mismanagement.
 | Marta Tuna While in the EU, water quality has consistently improved, Portugal has followed the opposite trend. In 2023, 85% of EU bathing waters were rated 'excellent' and only 1.5% 'poor quality'. Cyprus and Greece have more than 95% great bathing waters while Hungary and Poland, have less than 65%. Scientists agree that water quality should not be taken for granted. |
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