VILA REAL de Santo António Câmara is hitting back at recent press reports that claimed the water at the borough’s Lota and Manta Rota beaches was dirty and unfit for swimming.
The câmara confirms that the water is of good quality, a fact that was proven by tests carried out by the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Algarve (CCDR), the region’s co-ordination and development commission, the results of which were published at the beginning of August.
Environmental organisation Quercus had recently claimed in several Portuguese newspapers that their tests indicated that the water at the aforementioned beaches was not suitable for bathing, due to its poor quality of cleanliness.
The câmara points out that a new sewage control system was put into action at the beginning of the summer season this year, which has ended the risks associated with the disposal of sewage into the sea from the Manta Rota waste treatment plant. Thanks to the new system, the borough’s sewage will be directed to the Guadiana River, a process that is being closely monitored by the relevant authorities.
Over recent years, the Vila Real de Santo António Câmara has invested around 25 million euros in pumping stations and the recent new system. This is a joint project with the borough of Castro Marim and has received European Community funding.
