The captain of the port of Figueira da Foz, João Lourenço, has a similar view on the behavior of bathers, who, in almost two months of bathing season in the coastal municipality of the district of Coimbra, ensures that “in general people ended up understanding the exceptional situation “current, in view of the covid-19 pandemic.
“Obviously, there are still points of concern, namely this beach [do Forte] which, due to its dimensions, quickly reaches red and Cabedelo [na margem esquerda do Mondego] which is a very desirable beach “, he said.
“Both the Maritime Police and the apprehensive surveillance personnel have been making rounds, encouraging social distance and, in general, what is noticeable is that people end up accepting and dispersing”, said João Lourenço.
The vice-president of the Figueira da Foz municipality, Ana Carvalho, noted that Praia do Forte “was always very popular, especially by families with children”, especially since the municipality decided to invest in that area, starting in 2016.
“We made a great effort to improve the quality of the water, we carry out current analyzes and managed to be considered a bathing area. Since then it has become more sought after, not least because this area is arranged and is very accessible, which is very important”, he underlined .
Although it is one of the most sought after beaches in Figueira da Foz, even for its location – it is next to Avenida de Espanha, allowing bathers to easily access from the city center to a bathing area, since the adjacent beaches of Molhe Norte and Relógio they are located in the largest urban sand in Europe and imply winning almost a kilometer until reaching the sea – Praia do Forte has always presented some problems related to water quality.
It has, for the second consecutive year, water of acceptable quality (the worst classification among the 357 coastal bathing waters identified by the APA), after having previously been classified as of poor quality in two consecutive years, which led to at least least two interventions by the municipality.
Praia do Forte is located in the bar of the river, in the area known as the anteport and took its name from the Fort of Santa Catarina, located in the surroundings and the target of a requalification work completed in 2017, although the beach has existed for decades, being known popularly by a derogatory name.
The website of the municipality of Figueira da Foz defines it as “estuarine” (because it is located in the Mondego estuary), arguing that “its small size” makes it “very welcoming and familiar”, being “ideal for the visitor looking for a modest bathing area, absent from the bustle of the urban center “.
On the continent, APA identifies 357 coastal bathing waters in five hydrographic regions, the overwhelming majority (347, about 97%) of excellent quality.
There are also seven with good quality (two in Cascais, two in Lagos and one in Peniche, Lagoa and Figueira da Foz), one acceptable (Praia do Forte, in this municipality on the coast of the district of Coimbra) and two others in Sesimbra and Ílhavo, without an assigned classification.
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