Contaminated Beaches To
Have Warning Signs
Posted To Protect
Visitors
The Acueductos y
Alcantarillados (AyA) -
water and sewer utility
- is warning of serious
contamination at 13
beaches.
The most contaminated
beaches are Cieneguita y
Portebe in the province
of Limón and Quepos,
which registers more
than 240 fecal coliforms
per 100 millilitres of
water.
Agujas, Doña Ana, El
Roble, Herradura,
Manzanillo de
Guanacaste, Puntarenas,
Sámara, Tamarindo and
Tárcoles are all beaches
with high levels of
contamination.
According to data
gathered by the
Laboratorio Nacional de
Aguas (national water
laboratory), swimming in
the waters of the
contaminated beaches not
only can be a cause of
infection and skin
outbreaks, but also can
cause diarrhea and
respiratory infections.
The main cause of the
contamination is the
dumping of raw sewage by
the beach hotels and
restuarants, which could
turn out to be very
costly for general
business conditions as
more and more tourists
avoid the affected
beaches.
To avoid visitors to
come into contact with
contaminated water, the
AyA said it will be
posting warning signs.
AyA officials say that
it is not too late to
rescue the beaches if
local businesses and
investors commit to
environmental concerns,
especially beaches like
playa Jacó which is on
the list of the most
contaminated.
Fecal coliforms
(sometimes faecal
coliforms) are
facultatively-anaerobic,
rod-shaped,
gram-negative, non-sporulating
bacteria. They are
capable of growth in the
presence of bile salts
or similar surface
agents, oxidase
negative, and produce
acid and gas from
lactose.
Fecal coliforms include
the genera that
originate in feces.
In general, increased
levels of fecal
coliforms provide a
warning of failure in
water treatment. Large
quantities of fecal
coliform bacteria in
water may indicate a
higher risk of pathogens
being present in the
water. Some waterborne
pathogenic diseases
include ear infections,
dysentery, typhoid
fever, viral and
bacterial
gastroenteritis, and
hepatitis A. The
presence of fecal
coliform tends to affect
humans more than it does
aquatic creatures,
though not exclusively.
Fecal coliform, like
other bacteria, can
usually be killed by
boiling water or by
treating with chlorine.
Washing thoroughly with
soap after contact with
contaminated water can
also help prevent
infections. |
