The data is critical: almost 50% of the samples collected along the Ligurian coast were found to be outside the legal limitsThis is what emerged from the collection of monitoring data by Goletta Verde di Legambiente, during the historic summer campaign of Legambiente now in its 38th edition. Of the 23 points sampled along the coasts of Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia, 11 were found to be polluted or heavily polluted.
10 samples were taken from river mouths and canals, and the remaining 13 were taken from the sea. From the microbiological analyses carried out by laboratories, 6 were considered polluted, and 5 were considered heavily polluted, as established by Legambiente for samples that exceed more than double the limits imposed by law.
“The data are quite similar over the years, and this unfortunately is an indication that many problems are not being solved – declares Stefano Bigliazzi, President of Legambiente Liguria. Most of the polluted places are at the mouths of rivers, and it is known that in Liguria we have very few free beaches: all the mouths of rivers are included in these. This should make us think about the fact that the situation is even worse than we think from the point of view of free bathing beaches. In all the places where we find a polluted data, we contact the administrations that are usually very interested in our indications, because they are not aimed at creating controversy but at finding a cause and solving the problem. From the point of view of the number of free beaches, Liguria is the worst in absolute terms compared to the other regions, the one that in percentage of the available beaches has the fewest free ones in all of Italy. Given that the critical issues are found at the mouths of rivers, and that they are all free beaches, the situation is the worst in Italy.”
The analyses conducted by Goletta Verde aim to identify the critical issues due to poor or absent purification of waste water in specific points, such as estuaries, canals and waterways, and the main vehicles with which this type of pollution reaches the sea. In the province of Imperia, of the 6 sampling points, the sample from the mouth of the Santa Caterina torrent, in the municipality of Santo Stefano al Mare, was found to be heavily polluted, as were those taken in Ventimiglia at the mouth of the Roja river and in Sanremo the beach facing the San Romolo torrent. Moving towards Savona, of the 5 sampling points taken in the province, the mouth of the Centa river in Albenga and the one at the mouth of the Pora river in Finale Ligure were found to be heavily polluted. In the city of Genoa, 6 samples were taken, of which the one collected at the mouth of the Nervi torrent was contaminated, and the points at sea near Rio San Siro in Santa Margherita Ligure and at the mouth of the Entella torrent, in Lavagna, were heavily polluted. As regards the last 6 sampling points, sampled in the waters of La Spezia and the province, the sample taken in the canal that passes under Piazza Garibaldi in Monterosso a Mare, which flows into the sea, was found to be heavily polluted. The sample taken at sea, near the discharge below the viewpoint in Manarola, Riomaggiore, was found to be polluted.
Legambiente also denounces the situation of the beaches, full of waste such as plastic and cigarette butts. The spokesperson of Goletta Verde, Federica Barbera, explains that: “Every 100 meters we find waste on the beaches, and most of the waste is disposable plastic or cigarette butts. We will do an experiment with a robot that will go and collect cigarette butts. As for disposable plastic, it is one of the types of waste that is found most on our coasts, and also in this case we must work upstream to ensure that this waste is thrown away in the correct way. However, we have found greater sensitivity across the board in all regions.”
In this regard, a project called VERO (Vacuum-cleaner equipped robot), designed by IIT: a robot, equipped with cameras, computers and a vacuum cleaner, built to detect and collect cigarette butts thrown on the ground. “This project demonstrates how artificial intelligence and robotics can help in the care and protection of the environment. – says Claudio Semini of the Italian Institute of Technology – Thanks to the two cameras in front, it can see cigarette butts on the ground even on rough terrain, on beaches or where the road does not allow the circulation of vehicles, such as in small creuzes. Cigarette butts are very harmful to the sea and the environment, being full of harmful substances. We have already carried out initial tests in parks and beaches”.
