The Peruvian capital, Lima, has closed one of its most popular beaches today in an exceptional measure justified by the pollution caused by the garbage left by tens of thousands of people who visit the place every weekend. Agua Dulce beach receives about 70,000 visitors every weekend. Richard Cortez, mayor of the Chorrillos district in Lima, told journalists: "This measure is a way to raise visitors' awareness about the pollution they cause on the beaches." The temporary closure of the beach for one day will allow teams to clean up the sandy coastline. City officials, in a city of over 10 million inhabitants, mentioned that about 20 tons of waste are collected weekly at Agua Dulce. Cortez added: "This situation has been going on for years, the best message we can send to visitors is to close the beach, we should not end up having to close it permanently."
