Acque sicure
(Safe waters) The City of Lugano, as part of a cantonal campaign that takes place every summer, makes regular efforts to make beach areas, and in particular the Mouth of the Cassarate River, safer.
The Acque sicure (Safe waters) awareness and prevention campaign is carried out through collaboration between public entities. Even in the summer of 2024, an extensive communication initiative was planned with the ultimate goal of informing the public about the hidden dangers that can arise during recreational, rejuvenating, and relaxing activities such as swimming in one of our beautiful lakes, swimming in a pool, or immersing oneself in the magnificent rivers of our valleys.
The Canton, with the support of the Commissione Acque Sicure, collaborates with all the municipalities involved, and in particular with the City of Lugano, which regularly participates in the campaign to make bathing areas, popular water access points, and especially the mouth of the Cassarate river safer for swimmers.
The targeted activities of the City
In 2022, the City of Lugano created new informational signs both in and out of the water and planned additional concrete prevention actions, including:
- widespread distribution of cantonal informational brochures
- promotion of dynamic advertising on boats and buses
- providing information to taxi drivers, higher education centers, and international schools
- providing placemats to swimming pools, bathing facilities, and public establishments
- introduction of patrol officers at the mouth of the Cassarate river
- providing information in migrant reception centers
In 2023, the City of Lugano, in addition to continuing the actions already undertaken the previous year, planned the following additional prevention measures:
- patrol service with rescue dogs at the mouth of the Cassarate river
- new informational signage near the park on Via Riviera in Castagnola and at Villa Heleneum
- new informational signage at the ports and piers of the City of Lugano
In 2024, the City of Lugano, in addition to continuing the actions undertaken in previous years, extended the patrol service with rescue dogs at the mouth of the Cassarate river from 15 June to 8 September.
Additionally, in collaboration with the Laboratorio cantonale (Cantonal Laboratory), prevention and protection measures against cyanobacteria have been planned and are ready to be implemented in case of emergency.
The Servizio sicurezza e salute (Security and Health Service) promotes annual prevention initiatives in collaboration with the Commissione cantonale Acque sicure to primarily inform about the particularities of the various lake areas and the non-visible criticalities. Furthermore, the initiatives aim to raise awareness and promote responsibility regarding safety rules. A careful level of awareness, diligent prudence, and the adoption of appropriate behavior make it possible to navigate rivers and lakes safely.
The cantonal campaign
Additionally, the comprehensive set of measures planned for 2024 at the cantonal level included a campaign tailored for different target groups (residents, tourists, children, the elderly, canyoners, and foreigners) and for different locations (lakes, watercourses, and public swimming pools). The promotion was primarily conducted in Italian, French, German, English, and for canyoners, also in Spanish. The informational brochures "laghi e fiumi" (lakes and rivers) were also translated into Ukrainian and Russian to raise awareness among refugees about the correct behavior to adopt in the open waters of our territory. Appropriate information was also provided in Tigrinya, Farsi, Arabic, and Somali. Informational flyers were also available digitally with a QR code.
In addition to the multilingual informational brochures, there were street and digital billboards, awareness campaigns on public transport, newspaper articles, radio spots, and advertisements in magazines. Further initiatives included participation in targeted events, an infoline from hydroelectric power stations to inform canyoners, and informational and awareness-raising meetings on the risks present in open waters with foreign communities, in collaboration with the Servizio integrazione stranieri - SIS (Foreign Integration Service). To provide information via social media, the Instagram and Facebook pages of Ticino sicuro should be highlighted.
Last updated: 9 December 2024
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.