Cyprus' bathing waters have been classified as excellent in the 2013 annual bathing water quality report of the European Environment Agency (EEA).
The water at Europe’s beaches, rivers and lakes was generally of high quality in 2013, with more than 95 % of these sites meeting minimum requirements. Coastal performed slightly better than inland bathing waters, the data shows.
In 2013, 112 bathing waters were reported in Cyprus, all of coastal type. A total of 967 samples were taken at bathing waters throughout the season – nine per bathing water on average. All bathing waters were classified as excellent.
As it is noted “all coastal bathing waters met at least sufficient water quality in 2013” and no coastal bathing waters had to be closed during the bathing season.
According to the report, all the bathing sites in Cyprus and Luxembourg were deemed ‘excellent’. These countries were followed by Malta (99% excellent), Croatia (95%) and Greece (93%). At the other end of the scale, European Union Member States with the highest proportion of sites with a ‘poor’ status were Estonia (6%), the Netherlands (5%), Belgium (4%), France (3%), Spain (3%) and Ireland (3%).
The annual bathing water quality report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) tracks the water quality at 22 000 bathing sites across the EU, Switzerland and, for the first time, Albania. Alongside the report, the EEA has published an interactive map showing how each bathing site performed in 2013.
Environment Commissioner Janez PotoÄnik said: "It`s good that the quality of European bathing waters continues to be of a high standard. But we cannot afford to be complacent with such a precious resource as water. We must continue to ensure that our bathing and drinking water as well as our aquatic ecosystems are fully protected."
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: “Europe’s bathing water has improved over the last two decades – we are no longer discharging such high quantities of sewage directly into water bodies. Today’s challenge comes from short-term pollution loads during heavy rain and flooding. This can overflow sewage systems and wash faecal bacteria from farmland into the rivers and seas.”
Local authorities monitor the samples at local beaches, collecting samples in the spring and throughout the bathing season. Bathing waters are can be rated ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’. The ratings are based on levels of two types of bacteria which indicate pollution from sewage or livestock. These bacteria can cause illness (vomiting and diarrhea) if swallowed.
Bathing water ratings do not consider litter, pollution and other aspects harming the natural environment. While most bathing sites are clean enough to protect human health, many of the ecosystems in Europe’s water bodies are in a worrying state. This is evident in Europe’s seas – a recent assessment found that Europe’s marine ecosystems are threatened by climate change, pollution, overfishing and acidification. Many of these pressures are set to increase.
