The northern area of Nazaré beach, in the district of Leiria, was closed for swimming on Tuesday due to an obstruction in the sewage pipeline near Praça Manuel Arriaga, which caused a runoff of effluents for about an hour and a half.
The local council, awaiting results of water samples sent to the Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute, announced late today that the beach “remains closed for swimming until the results of the counter-analyses requested today on water quality are known.”
The decision is based on preliminary analyses showing “very high contamination levels in two of the three collection points closest to the discharge,” according to the Leiria Public Health Department, as the municipality disclosed in a statement.
The statement from the local government notes that it “is monitoring the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities and expects the results of new analyses during the day tomorrow [Thursday].”
This marks the second swimming ban at the beach since the beginning of the month, following an August 1 prohibition due to a discharge in stormwater sewers. As a result of that incident, 116 people were treated at the Leiria Region Local Health Unit (ULS) with symptoms related to water contamination.
Contacted by Lusa, the ULS of the Leiria Region reported today that, despite the swimming ban decreed by the Nazaré Port Authority, “there has not been an increase in visits to Emergency Services with gastrointestinal symptoms, thanks to preventive action that immediately advised against contact with the water.”
Nonetheless, the Leiria ULS added, “the emergency services in Leiria, Alcobaça, and Pombal are on alert and monitoring potential cases.”
The Nazaré council revealed today it does not rule out the possibility of “sabotage” in the sewage pipeline and acknowledged the urgent need for investment in replacing the approximately 60-year-old system.
