Governments will make rivers, canals and other ‘wild swimming locations’ safer, writes Fidelity. Where this is not possible, municipalities and provinces will actively discourage ‘wild swimming’. Until now, swimming has been tolerated or even made possible in places that are not suitable for it.
According to European guidelines, it is not allowed to swim in water of moderate to poor quality. Swimmers are not allowed to cause a nuisance and when shipping is nearby, swimming is unsafe.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has set up a working group on wild swimming, which will present a guidepost for municipalities by the end of 2022. In it, the working group describes what needs to be done to convert wild swimming areas into official and safe swimming locations.
If that is not possible, swimming in such a place should be discouraged, says Ciska Sketch of the RIVM Fidelity. “This can be done by banning swimming, but also by removing swimming ladders or jetties, for example.”
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