Riga to have three Blue Flag beaches this year

RIGA - This year, the Blue Flag will fly at three Riga beaches: Vecaki, Vakarbulli and, for the first time, Babelitis, confirming the beaches' compliance with international environmental quality standards, as Riga City Council's External Communications Department informed LETA.

This year, the Blue Flag will be raised for the 17th time at Vakarbulli beach and for the seventh time at Vecaki beach, which is proof of the quality of these bathing sites. To be awarded the Blue Flag, beaches must meet a total of 33 criteria on water quality, beach service and management, safety, environmental information and education. The Blue Flag criteria ensure that beaches are managed in a way that takes into account environmental protection and sustainable development factors, and pays close attention to maintaining environmental quality and protecting biodiversity.

Riga has a total of eight beaches: Daugavgriva, Vakarbulli, Vecaki, Rumbula, Babelitis, Kipsala, Kisezers, Lucavsala, and Lucavsala Bay. There are also a number of other bathing sites in the city, but they are not manned by lifeguards.