Tourists planning trips to popular Spanish resorts such as Ibiza, Malaga, and Tenerife this summer might want to reconsider their plans. The Spanish environmental NGO, Ecologists in Action, has issued “black flags” for 48 beaches, warning of pollution, sewage discharges, plastic waste, or other environmental damages, reports Which.
Ecologists in Action examined over 8,000 kilometers of Spain’s coastline and prepared their annual “Black Flag” report. The group claims that some resort areas’ sanitation systems cannot cope with the increased number of tourists, leading to sewage spills.
Among the notably dangerous beaches are those in the popular resort regions of Costa del Sol and the entire coastline of Malaga. Sewage pollution was detected at El Amerador Beach in El Campello, near Alicante. The Andalusian coastline received a staggering 10 black flags. The “Black Flag” rating does not necessarily indicate a dirty beach, as the flags are also issued due to light and noise pollution and overdevelopment of the beach and surrounding areas.
Environmentalists also criticized beaches in Barcelona, Valencia, Cádiz, and Granada. Damage to underwater plants due to illegal anchoring and spills from treatment facilities was recorded near Talamanca Beach in Ibiza. The “Black Flag” rating does not necessarily indicate a dirty beach, as the flags are also issued due to light and noise pollution and overdevelopment of the beach and surrounding areas.
48 Beaches with “Black Flags” from Ecologists in Action:
- La Farella, Girona, Catalonia
- Various beaches on the Costa Brava coast, Girona, Catalonia
- Comarca del Maresme, Barcelona, Catalonia
- Sant Adrià del Besò, Barcelona, Catalonia
- Camino de Ronda, Tarragona, Catalonia
- Playa de la Pineda, Costa Dorada, Tarragona, Catalonia
- Playa de L’Estany-Capicorb, Castellón, Valencia region
- Playa de Burriana, Castellón, Valencia region
- Beaches in the Albufera Natural Park, Valencia, Valencia region
- Puerto de Valencia, Valencia, Valencia region
- Barranco and Playa del Amerador, Alicante, Valencia region
- Playas de Cap l’Horta, Albufera, Postiguet, and San Gabriel, Alicante, Valencia region
- Mar Menor, Murcia region
- Portman-Bay and Sierra Minera, Murcia region
- Playa Quitapellejos-Palomares, AlmerÃa, Andalusia
- Playa de ‘El Lancón’ in Carboneras, AlmerÃa, Andalusia
- Playa de Castell de Ferro, Granada, Andalusia
- Playa Granada y Poniente, Granada, Andalusia
- Playas de Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia
- Málaga coastline, Málaga, Andalusia
- Tarifa, Cádiz, Andalusia
- Costa de Trafalgar, Cádiz, Andalusia
- RÃo Huelva, Huelva, Andalusia
- El Portil, Huelva, Andalusia
- RÃo Aldán, Concello de Cangas, Pontevedra, Galicia
- RÃo Arousa and RÃo Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Galicia
- Minera de Galicia, Coruña, Galicia
- RÃo Pereiro and RÃo Ramisqueira, La Coruña, Galicia
- Alcaoa Pond, Lugo, Galicia
- Galician coastline, Lugo, Galicia
- Port Figueras, Asturias
- Villaviciosa, Asturias
- Playa de Usgo, Cantabria
- San Román de la Llanilla, Cantabria
- Marshy area of Lamiako, Biscay, Basque Country
- Guernica and Murueta, Biscay, Basque Country
- Santa Clara Island, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
- La Concha Island, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
- Cala Xaracca, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
- Playa de Talamanca, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
- Port of Melilla, Melilla
- Melilla Bay, Melilla
- Monte Hacho, Ceuta
- Playa de Desnarigado, Ceuta
- Playa Blanca, Las Palmas, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
- Corralejo Dunes, Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
- Playa La Tejita (Granadilla), Puertito de Armeñime (Adeje), Tenerife, Canary Islands
- Northwest coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands
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