The City of Cape Town has introduced a new platform, Cape Town Beach Alerts, to provide the public with easy access to coastal water quality and beach information. This platform offers the latest and long-term coastal water quality results for all beaches and tidal pools along the Atlantic and False Bay coastlines. The webpage is designed to be user-friendly, with a simple and easy-to-digest format.
Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, stated that the webpage will revolutionize the way locals and visitors obtain information about coastal water quality results at their favorite beach destinations. The webpage features a color-coded system, a map with location pins, and a search function that allows users to find specific beach results.
The Cape Town Beach Alerts webpage provides a range of information, including the date and result of the latest water quality sample, the specific location where seawater samples are collected, and the number of samples taken over the past 365 days. Users can also access information on lifeguard services, weather forecasts, and whether a beach is a Blue Flag beach.
The City of Cape Town has a dedicated team that collects water samples at over 100 locations along the 300+km coastline every week for analysis. The coastal water quality is based on enterococci counts, the internationally recognized gold standard indicator for coastal water quality in terms of associated risk to human health.
The webpage is available 24/7, and residents and visitors can access it at https://beachalerts.capetown.gov.za or through the City of Cape Town mobile app. Users can also sign up for push notifications to stay updated on the latest alerts and warnings issued by the City.
Alderman Eddie Andrews emphasized that the platform is a significant effort to make coastal water quality data more transparent, reliable, and easy to interpret. He added that the City plans to add more features to the webpage in the future, including information on dog walking, upgrades along the coast, and sightings of oceanic life.
The launch of Cape Town Beach Alerts comes just in time for the summer season, and Andrews expressed pride in the City's effort to provide thousands of visitors with reliable and accessible information about coastal water quality.
Key points
- The City of Cape Town has launched a new platform, Cape Town Beach Alerts, to provide easy access to coastal water quality and beach information.
- The webpage offers a range of information, including coastal water quality results, lifeguard services, and weather forecasts.
- The platform is available 24/7 and can be accessed through the City's webpage or mobile app.
