Just when politicians of all political colours are patting themselves on the back for Blue-Flag, beach awards, ecologists dish out their Black Flags.

Jet Ski Protests

Each year, Ecologistas en Acción points out the ‘black spots’ along our 8,000 kilometres of Spanish coast line. This year, the usual suspects crop up on the Costa Tropical but nobody expected La Herradura to get singled out. Why? Noisy jet skis.

But it’s not only La Herradura because Albuñol took a hit over Playa de La Rábita – El Pozuelo.

Getting back to La Herradura, beside the noisy jet skis whirling around the bay (just about all of the culprits are privately owned) tractors are singled out, hauling boats from the dry, boat storage area (marina seca) to the beach and vice versa.

Then there’s a large chiringuito under construction without a licence. The Town Hall says that it’s not their responsibility but rather that of Costas, as justification for whistling and looking the other way.

Neither are the ecologists happy with the new PGOU (Urban Development Plan) which envisages a large hotel on the beach front and 4,000 new dwellings in the Río Jate vega. They also claim that there are urbanizaciones not connected up to the main sewage system, as well as illegal sewer outlets causing stains on the sea surface

Now over to Playa de La Rábita-El Pozuelo, where they criticise the kind of ‘sand’ used to regenerate beaches hit by storm damage. They have found plastic, containers and an array of rubbish mixed in with the sand, or better said silt, as they are digging it out of dry gullies and riverbeds.

On the other hand, Francisco Trujillo, who is the Chairman of the Costa Tropical Chiringuitos Association said that from La Herradura to Albuñol there were magnificent beaches, all regenerated  with crystalline waters; “The whole of Granada coastline is first class and we feel proud of the great work that town halls have carried out in order to reach this moment in the year with everything ready.”

Perhaps things are neither as Blue Flag or Black Flag as some paint them.

(News: Herradura/Albuñol, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)