Lagos council has entered the fray over Dona Ana beach with the council president considering the removal of the beach's Gold Quality status as “illegitimate”.
The president of Lagos council, Joaquina Matos, said that as the award should be based solely on water quality, so the beach should keep its Gold award status despite recent safety works by the Ministry of the Environment being widely criticised for changing the character and appeal of the beach, once considered one of Portugal’s finest.
Speaking to Lusa, Matos said he was surprised by the decision of the awarding body Quercus, which "has every right to take a stand," but cautioned that "the withdraw the Gold Quality award from the beach based on the recent works does not seem legitimate.
Whether the City Council formally will respond to the award suspension has not yet been decided. Matos said it was something to think about, but emphasised that the council "is very busy."
Matos does admit that once iconic beach "has lost some of its features,” but that in a few months nature will restore the beach to its previous state - hardly a vote of confidence that the €1.8 million was wisely spent.
"The beach is full of users, is a magnificent beach and it is a safe beach in the municipality of Lagos where vacationers are safe," said Matos.
Quercus considers that the works carried out have compromised the environmental and landscape balance that underlies the award of Gold status.
The coordinator of the Blue Flag programme, Catarina Gonçalves, says she is surprised at the decision by Quercus, since the assignment of Gold status is acknowledged by Quercus as being, "exclusively based on the analysis of water quality carried out by the Portuguese Environment Agency."
Quercus points out that "it cannot fail to take into account" recent events which call into question the environmental and landscape balance, adding that other exceptional cases will be analysed to see if the beaches still qualify for Gold status, whether or not the water quality is excellent.
The environmental association Almargem agrees with the Quercus decision to suspend the "Gold Quality" award at Dona Ana beach, noting also that Blue Flag status "should never have been awarded."
Director of Almargem João Santos said today that he will be applying to the European Blue Flag Association to have the flag withdraw from the beach.
Santos added that Almargem currently "is working with its lawyers to bring a complaint to the prosecutor" and is waiting to hear about its complaint to the European Union.
The council would do well to steer clear of this row but behind the scenes pressure may be brought to bear from the Minister of the Environment should he need ammunition in any forthcoming court case queestioning his authorisation of the works without having undertaken the legally necessary environmental impact assessment.
