Chania: swimming ban lifted at Nea Chora

Swimming is once again permitted along the Nea Chora shore in Chania, according to an announcement by the Directorate of Public Health and Social Welfare of the Chania regional unit, released on Sunday 16 August 2026. The decision was based on new samples taken on 13 and 14 August, which showed that the microbial load in the waters off the beach has returned to normal levels. The ban is not, however, lifted across the whole area: it remains in force within a 200-metre zone on either side of the mouth of the river Kladissos, where samples continue to show elevated readings.

The announcement states that «swimming is permitted at the Nea Chora bathing beach, except for the stretch of beach close to the Kladissos river, where the ban remains in place». The service notes that, despite the earlier pumping out of sewage by tanker trucks, the contamination at the river mouth has not receded sufficiently, and that further samples will be taken before any additional decision. Keeping the ban in a specific zone, rather than along the whole beach, is standard practice when the source of the pollution is localised.

The case began in mid-August, with a fault in a sewage pipeline at Nea Chora that led to an immediate swimming ban at one of the busiest beaches in the city of Chania. The timing made the problem worse, as the beach lies within walking distance of the historic centre and draws large numbers of bathers at the peak of the tourist season. The mouth of the Kladissos has long been a sensitive spot, since run-off from a wider catchment collects there and the mixing of fresh and sea water slows natural recovery.

For visitors, the practical message is that the beach is operating normally, with the exception of the stretch on either side of the river mouth, which remains marked. The regional unit has not announced a timetable for lifting the remaining ban, since that depends on the results of the next set of measurements. The incident is part of a series of infrastructure management issues facing Chania this year, from sewerage networks to major hydraulic works, such as the Tavronitis dam, for which a twelve-month extension was recently granted.