Naples - With the start of the beach season, concerns about safety on Campania's public beaches are growing. Dr. Francesco Velotti of Europa Verde has highlighted a crucial issue: the obligation of coastal municipalities to ensure adequate beach surveillance and proper signage of safety limits in the water.
A vitally important issue, often underestimated, which could put the lives of swimmers at risk.
"Pursuant to and in accordance with Regional Law No. 17/98," Velotti recalled, "riverside municipalities are required to ensure the presence of lifeguards along the public beaches suitable for bathing within their jurisdiction."
Not only that. According to the Maritime Authorities' regulations, it is imperative that municipal administrations clearly mark the limits of safe water (where non-swimmers can bathe) and the limits of the designated bathing area (300 meters from the shoreline or 100 meters from the cliffs).
These areas must be clearly marked by buoys or floating buoys: white for safe waters, red for the limit of the area of bathing.
But what happens if a municipality is unable to provide these essential services? "If they are unable to fulfill these safety-related obligations," Velotti emphasized, "municipalities must still notify the public by placing adequate, clearly visible, vertical warning signs on public beaches.
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This signage, he specified, must be written in multiple languages, equipped with explanatory pictograms and compliant with the ISO 20712 standard symbology, following the model of the European PERLA project (cooperation for accessibility, use and safety of the coastal strip).
Among the fundamental indications to be reported on the signs, Velotti listed: "Attention – bathing is unsafe due to the lack of a dedicated lifeguard service
Unsafe bathing due to the unmarked safe water limit (1,00 m deep)
Attention - limit of waters closed to navigation - not marked" (referring to 300 meters from the shoreline or 100 meters from the sheer coasts).
Europa Verde's request is clear: "We are bringing to the attention of the Municipal Police the need for stringent surveillance to ensure municipal beaches are monitored and safe for swimmers," Velotti concluded, urging a "rapid response" from the competent authorities.
The goal is to prevent accidents and ensure a safe and peaceful summer for all those who flock to the Campania coast.
Given the importance of beach safety, what concrete steps could municipalities take to ensure full compliance with these regulations, especially during the high season?
Comments (1)
It's important that municipalities do everything possible to ensure safety on public beaches, but sometimes I wonder if they're truly equipped to manage these services because there are so many risks that bathers can encounter.