Swimming is prohibited at 31 public recreation areas in Belarus

On August 19, Minsk /BELTA correspondent/. Swimming is prohibited in 31 public recreation areas in Belarus. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Republican Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health. The list of prohibited areas includes the beach on the Dnieper River in the Podyzvoz tract (the town of Loev, Gomel Region), as well as the city beach on the Dnieper River (the town of Shklov, Mogilev Region). In the Grodno Region, swimming is prohibited in the lake of the agro-town of Gurnofel, Shchuchin District, and in the Minsk Region, in the reservoir of the "Sosnovy Bor" sanatorium, Molodechno District. Fifteen water bodies have been temporarily designated as unsuitable for swimming. In the Brest Region, the list includes beaches on the Shchara River (the village of Darevo, Lyakhovichy District), the Vedma River (in Lyakhovichy), the Lesnaya River (in Kamenets), recreation areas on the Chakva River (the village of Rubel, Stolin District), and the beaches of the "Nadzeya" and "Bug" sanatoriums (Zhabinka District), and the city beach on the Mukhavets River in the town of Zhabinka, and the "Tsentralny", "Vostok" beaches and the beach on Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii Street in Brest. Also unsafe are Lake Yubileynoye and the "Tsentralny" beach in Grodno, the "Sanatorium named after Lenin" beach in Babruysk District, and city beaches No. 1 and No. 2 in the city of Babruysk, Mogilev Region. In addition, swimming for children is restricted in twelve recreation areas. In Brest District, the beach on Beloye Lake and Rogoznyanskoye Lake, and the beach on the "Seletskoye" reservoir, Berezovsky District are closed for children. In Gomel, the "Zapadny", "Kostyukovsky", "Novobelitsky", "Tsentralny" beaches and the beach of Lyubenskoye Lake are closed for children. In Grodno Region, Molochnoye Lake (the village of Porechye) and the pond of the agro-town of Lutskovlyany are closed for children. In Brest Region, water bodies in the village of Khatki (Baranovichi District) and in the city park of Zhabinka are closed for children. The suitability of water bodies for cultural and domestic use is determined by their compliance with the requirements and standards set forth in the sanitary norms, rules, and hygiene standards "Hygiene requirements for the maintenance and operation of water bodies for recreational purposes," approved by the resolution of the Ministry of Health.

The sanitary rules and norms (SanPiN) establish a standard for the content of coliform bacteria in water bodies, the compliance with which ensures safe swimming. The water must not contain pathogens or viable helminth eggs. The surface of the water body must be free from floating film, mineral oil stains, and accumulations of other impurities. Furthermore, the water must not have uncharacteristic odors, and the content of chemical substances must not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations.

During the swimming season, the frequency of bacteriological examination of water from water bodies in public recreation areas is increased to an average of once a week. If two consecutive unsatisfactory results are obtained for bacteriological indicators from the same sampling point, a resolution is issued to prohibit the use of the water body for cultural and domestic purposes.

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