Brazil reports numerous beach sections unsuitable for swimming

State environmental agencies in Brazil have issued several recent balneability bulletins indicating that multiple coastal spots are unsuitable for bathing due to high Escherichia coli levels. The Instituto do Meio Ambiente (IMA) in Alagoas listed ten stretches, including sections of Praia da Avenida, Praia de Pajuçara and Praia de Ponta Verde in Maceió, as well as points in Maragogi and Barra de São Miguel. In the Grande Natal region, Idema identified eight unsuitable sections across Natal, Parnamirim and Nísia Floresta, such as the Foz do Rio Pirangi and various points on Praia de Ponta Negra. The Bahia monitoring program (Inema) flagged 26 out of 147 surveyed locations, with beach segments in Salvador and the coast north of the capital marked as unsafe. Rio de Janeiro’s Instituto Estadual do Ambiente recommended 18 beaches for swimming while warning that rain‑affected periods increase risk. The Superintendência de Administração do Meio Ambiente (Sudema) in Paraíba reported six problematic stretches in João Pessoa and Pitimbu. All bulletins cite the presence of E. coli as the contamination indicator and advise the public, especially children and the elderly, to avoid contact with the water until conditions improve.