Beach safety, cleanliness and better facilites top priority

Joan Collins A total of 20 lifeguards supplied by the Red Cross will be on duty on Palma beaches during the high tourist season, 11 of them on the Playa de Palma. The Playa de Palma will have a first aid station, three watch towers and an access point for the disabled, according to the chairwoman of Emaya (Water Board), Catalina Terrassa, yesterday. Palma's Beach Services and Quality Plan this year has a budget of 267'000 euros (in comparison with 183'000 in 2005), 242'382 euros supplied by Palma council and 25'617 by Llucmajor council, said Terrassa. She stressed that this year the safety and quality of the beaches have been improved, with access facilities for disabled people being a priority. As for the rest of the lifeguards, there will be two on each beach, Can Pere Antoni, Ciutat Jardi, Cala Major and Cala Estancia, according to Terrassa. She added that she was pleased that Palma had this year been awarded a new Blue Flag (for excellence, from the European Union) for Cala Major, to be added to those awarded to the Playa de Palma and Cala Estancia. Terrassa explained that the Service Plan had been developed with the aim of improving the cleanliness and safety of the beaches, and to this end they would be analysing the water and sand. It is planned to take samples of the water from each of the beaches every 15 days for analysis, and to take weekly samples of sand to analyse its quality. With regard to access points for disabled people, there are four access points situated in the Playa de Palma, Cala Major, Can Pere Antoni and Ciutat Jardin, to which other things must be added, such as the inclusion of facilities (WC, dressing rooms, showers) adapted for disabled people, rest areas, marking of the bathing area, amphibious wheelchairs and a set of adapted crutches. Help from the Red Cross staff is available with all of these facilities. During the summer, Emaya will be responsible for the cleaning of the Can Pere Antoni beach, the other beaches will be cleaned by companies under a concession.