Barcelona City Council will extend the smoking ban on all its beaches from July, after a pilot test was carried out last year on four of its beaches. Smoking not only poses a serious threat to health, but also constitutes a source of marine pollution of great proportionswith effects on the ecosystem and the different species.
This was explained at a press conference by the Councilor for Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, Eloi Badia, together with the Councilor for Health, Gemma Tarafa; the councilor and president of the Municipal Institute for Persons with Disabilities, Joan Ramon Riera, and the councilor for Sports, David Escudé.
The average bathing season has already started and will last until mid-September. Hundreds of thousands of people will spend all this time on the beaches of the Catalan capital.
The new measure will be rolled out in two phases: a first from this month until June, when an information campaign will be carried out to publicize the ban, and a second from July, when it will come into force.
During this period, the public space ordinance will be adapted so that the measure can be applied and, when it is effective, the Platges Directorate and the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) will monitor it to optimize implementation.
Five billion cigarette butts go into the sea every year
Tarafa recalled the environmental and health impact of the five billion cigarette butts that end up in the sea each year, and stressed that Barcelona is a “pioneer” in promoting this measure, although other Spanish beaches have implemented the same experience in recent years. He also recalled that the central government is working on regulations to ban smoking on beaches by 2023.
To control that citizens comply with the prohibition, civic agents and the Guàrdia Urbana will be deployed, who will be able to sanction, with fines comparable to those imposed in other urban spaces where smoking is prohibited, such as playgrounds.
As Badia specified, the fines would be about 30 eurosalthough he has said that he hopes not to have to sanction, and has recalled that during the pilot test it was not necessary.
more sand
On the other hand, Badia has advanced that there is a commitment from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to provide the beaches of Barcelona with sand in 2024 and that the specifications are already being drawn up.
The average bathing season on the city’s beaches is conditioned by the Cèlia storm, which has caused a loss of volume of sand that will require the re-growth of the beaches with the sand from the dredging of the mouth of Port Olímpic.
Escudé explained that they are working on a management and regulation of sports uses on the beaches that, among other issues, will allow surfers to enter the sea in situations of pre-alarm and alarm due to rough seas, and that the new regulation will mean that punish them for it.
On the other hand, this year the assisted bathing service it will be equated to the rest of the bathing campaign services, such as first aid and rescue, in addition to incorporating some elements to improve the service, such as a new inclusive changing table.
During the bathing season too The beach for dogs will be maintained on the Llevant beach and, regarding the beach bars, Badia has said that after Easter 9 of the 21 available will be active, but that the number will be increased for the summer.