Acque sicure
(Safe waters) The City of Lugano, as part of a cantonal campaign held every summer, regularly commits to making bathing areas safer, especially the mouth of the Cassarate River and the free beaches of Pian Càsoro.
The Acque sicure (Safe waters) awareness and prevention campaign is a joint effort among public bodies. For summer 2025, another intensive communication drive has been scheduled to warn people about the risks that can lurk even in enjoyable, restorative activities such as swimming in our beautiful lakes, taking a dip in a pool, or exploring the rivers of our valleys.
Supported by the State Council’s advisory Commissione “Acque sicure”, the Canton cooperates with all participating municipalities—first and foremost Lugano, which regularly enhances safety at popular water locations, notably the Cassarate mouth and Pian Càsoro’s free beaches.
Targeted actions
The City of Lugano has introduced concrete prevention steps, including:
- widespread distribution of cantonal information leaflets
- dynamic advertising on boats and buses
- briefings for taxi drivers, higher-education centres and international schools
- delivery of placemats to pools, lidos and eateries
- patrol officers stationed at the Cassarate mouth
- information sessions in migrant reception centres
- dog-assisted rescue patrols at the Cassarate mouth
- safety signage at Lugano’s harbours and jetties
Besides multilingual leaflets, the Acque sicure programme features roadside and digital billboards, awareness messages on public transport, press articles, radio spots, magazine adverts, attendance at specialised events, a hydro-electric infoline for canyoners, and information meetings on open-water hazards with foreign communities in partnership with the Servizio integrazione stranieri (SIS). Social-media outreach runs via the Instagram and Facebook pages of Ticino sicuro.
In concert with the Cantonal Laboratory, prevention and protection measures against cyanobacteria have been prepared and can be activated immediately if required.
Each year, the Servizio sicurezza e salute of the City of Lugano - together with the advisory Commissione “Acque sicure” - promotes initiatives that explain the specific features and hidden dangers of the various lake zones, raise awareness, and foster responsibility for safety rules. Sound awareness, prudent behaviour and appropriate caution let everyone enjoy rivers and lakes safely.
A headline innovation for 2025 is the official recognition of the Società Svizzera di Salvataggio Lugano as the Canton’s sole training centre for rescue-dog units. Backed by the Acque sicure Commission, this national first is a key step in the Canton’s open-water prevention strategy, adding dog units on service boats and at summer events to existing school visits and outreach to organisations.
Last update: 11 July 2025
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.