Poles must once again be careful on the Baltic Sea. A rash of red flags
At the seaside, there has been a lot of noise about closed bathing areas. On Wednesday, August 21, GIS reported several places where bathing is prohibited.
The problem, as usual, is cyanobacteria. These dangerous autotrophic bacteria can cause many harmful symptoms and be very dangerous. They are extremely common in Poland, especially in the summer season, when high temperatures persist for a long time. This season, they have already closed lakes and bathing areas on the Baltic Sea many times. Early this morning, we saw red flags again in 10 popular places, and currently warnings apply to about 5 places on the Baltic Sea.
Seaside bathing areas closed
The Chief Sanitary Inspectorate warns against bathing in contaminated water. On the interactive map available online, you can see, among other places, where cyanobacteria have already bloomed and bathing is prohibited. On August 21, we will see red flags on beaches such as: Gdynia Śródmieście, Gdynia Redłowo, Gdańsk Świbno and the Mikoszewo Bathing Area, Stegna I Bathing Area or Stegna II Bathing Area.
People who come to the above-mentioned places can use the nearby alternatives. Good choices include Orłowo beach in Gdynia, Stogi beach, Brzeźno or Jelitkowo in Gdańsk, and places in Sopot. Those staying in Stegna can go to Sztutowo, Krynica Morska or Kąty Rybackie, which are located closer.
Safe swimming areas. This is how you recognize them
Anyone who wants to be sure that they are bathing in clean water without cyanobacteria should regularly check the information available on the GIS website. Threatened places are marked in red, while those where the water is suitable for bathing are displayed in green. Places for which there are no current water tests or the place is closed are marked in gray. It is worth remembering that the main problem at bathing areas is not only cyanobacteria, but also too low water levels.
Currently, the bathing ban also applies to other popular places – not only those by the sea. For example, Warsaw residents must watch out for the Nieporęt reservoir on Zegrze. The map provided on the GIS website shows that currently in almost every corner of the country we can find places where the water is not suitable for bathing.
