The Algarve Report Wednesday 20th March 2024
by Mike Evans
A very good day to you all and we start this report with the latest in the water situation in the Algarve, or the lack of it!
Despite the region enjoying a small amount of rain that fell in the first week of this month, the dams and reservoir levels in the Algarve remain low, dangerously low . In fact there are some who fear that the tourism market will be affected if things don’t improve. Despite waking up late to a problem that had been predicted and announced for years, authorities – national, regional and local -, businesspeople and their associations, are already taking measures to ensure water savings and more efficient water management. , at least as far as urban consumption is concerned. Applications from the municipalities of Tavira, Olhão and Alcoutim have already been approved, within the scope of Measure SM1 – Reducing Water Losses in the Urban Sector, included in the Recovery and Resilience (PRR), announced the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL).
The three applications represent a total investment of €6,576,166.88 and concern “the renewal of sections of pipelines with high levels of real water losses”.
The works to be carried out will allow the municipalities to obtain significant values of water efficiency, as they will rehabilitate 32.5 kilometres of network, allowing a reduction of 281,465 m3/year in the volume of real losses», according to AMAL.
With these three Notices, a total of 33 applications have been approved in 13 Algarve municipalities, corresponding to 25.83 million euros and 95 contracts and acquisition of services, and, in the vast majority of cases, the works are already underway.
The applications presented are analysed and approved by a Management Committee, which includes elements from the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), the Administration of the Algarve Hydrographic Region – Portuguese Environment Agency (ARH-Algarve/ APA) and the University of Algarve.
Another initiative recently launched by the Algarve Tourism sector is a scheme to offer accommodation suppliers a “Save Water” certificate. The objective is to promote water savings in hotels and in the tourism sector in general, offering, in return, a seal that recognizes the effort and contribution of companies to the regional goal of reducing water consumption in the region by 15%. urban sector.
The “Save Water” seal, which will attest that tourist companies in the Algarve are playing their role in the fight against water waste and in favour of the efficient use of this precious resource, was presented this Monday, March 18th, at the headquarters of the Algarve Tourism Region, in Faro, in a session attended by Nuno Fazenda, Secretary of State for Tourism.
To obtain the seal and the water efficiency certification it confers, partner companies commit to adopting, in a phased manner, 30 water saving measures, from a list of 60. If companies have already implemented measures included in the list, they can be included in the action plan, albeit with limitations.
According to André Gomes, president of Turismo do Algarve, what is at stake are «water efficiency measures that were worked on in a very pressing way, both from a technical point of view – here with a great contribution from the Energy Agency (Adene) – , or with sector representatives. Tourist accommodation companies have been involved since December, in many hours of working meetings with Adene, the partner association of Turismo do Algarve and Turismo de Portugal in this program.
At issue are water efficiency measures linked to devices (taps, shower heads and others), alternative sources, irrigation, swimming pools, equipment, cleaning, behaviour and management and maintenance.
The 60 measures are divided into priority ones, which are those that “can give results in a more pressing and more immediate way”, which are 18 in total, and structuring ones (42), which are “those that will take longer to be implemented», according to André Gomes.
The latter, as they are more complex, are also those for which support mechanisms were created, to a large extent, by Turismo de Portugal to help companies.
This support is divided into two lines, according to Carlos Abade, president of Turismo de Portugal: one dedicated exclusively to the Algarve, with an allocation of 10 million euros, and another nationwide, with 50 million euros, but which has extra advantages for companies that implement projects to promote water efficiency in the Algarve.
Exclusively for projects to be implemented in the Algarve region, the “+ Algarve Water Efficiency” line was created, to which micro, small and medium-sized companies can apply, as long as they are hotel establishments, rural tourism establishments or campsites and of caravanning.
In this line, which will be open continuously from April 1st until the grant ends, each company can submit an application with a maximum value of 50 thousand euros, benefiting from 50% non-refundable support.
Let’s hope that these and other initiatives are enough to make sure tourism is not affected over the summer season.
Now a look at some of the other news around the region.
GNR seized hundreds of doses of cocaine and heroin
Hundreds of doses of cocaine and heroin and weapons were seized in the Algarve by the GNR, between the 11th and 17th of March, in actions carried out in different parts of the Algarve, this security force revealed.
According to the most recent weekly report on the operation of the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR, last week 47 people were arrested, 13 for driving without a legal licence, 12 for driving under the influence of alcohol and two for drug trafficking.
In total, 386 doses of cocaine, 162 doses of heroin, a revolver, a pistol, a knife and various ammunition were seized.
In the traffic inspection, 596 infractions were detected, of which the GNR points out that 193 were due to speeding, 61 related to anomalies in the lighting and signalling systems, 55 due to lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 28 due to improper use of the cell phone during the exercise. driving, 14 due to lack of or incorrect use of a seat belt and/or child restraint system and seven due to lack of civil liability insurance.
In terms of accident rates, there were 124 accidents, resulting in one serious injury and 28 minor injuries.
PSP makes a number of Arrests across the Region.
Eight people were arrested by the PSP, for the crimes of possession of a prohibited weapon, resistance and coercion, metal theft, disobedience, damage, driving without a legal licence and driving while drunk, in the cities of Faro, Portimão, Olhão , Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António.
According to the District Command of the PSP of Faro, two of these arrests stand out, which occurred in the city centre of Faro, following preventive policing actions focused on that area of the city.
In this context, a suspect was approached who was carrying a bladed weapon, according to him for defence in case of need, and was detained and the weapon seized.
At another point, while identifying a suspect for selling drugs to passers-by, he tried to escape, attacking a police officer, for which he was immediately arrested.
On the other hand, in the city of Tavira, a 37-year-old suspect was arrested for stealing copper wire.
This arrest occurred following a call reporting a possible theft in progress at a construction site. According to the PSP, “the rapid mobilisation of police resources allowed the suspect to be intercepted, as he was preparing to leave the scene, with around 6.5 kilos of stolen copper wire in his possession”.
In the last 48 hours, during road inspection actions, three arrests were made for driving without a legal licence and one arrest under the influence of alcohol.
Fire consumes warehouse in Moncarapacho
A fire consumed a warehouse with civil construction materials located in Moncarapacho, in the municipality of Olhão, this morning, with no injuries reported , a Civil Protection source told Lusa. The alert was given at 00:29 for a fire at a construction site.
“A warehouse with construction material burned down, with no injuries reported,” explained a source from the Algarve Sub-Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command .
During the early hours of the morning, until 7:00 am, the incident mobilised 20 firefighters and GNR operatives, with the support of 10 vehicles.
Man detained in Portimão in possession of two knives and an axe
The PSP arrested a man on Wednesday, March 13, in Portimão for possession of a prohibited weapon, the police force said on Thursday.
The arrest occurred following “a call for disorder”, in which a man allegedly wielded a knife, according to details from the PSP.
Police resources were mobilised and, upon arriving at the scene, they identified the suspect. Two large knives and an axe were detected in his possession, which he claimed were for “self-defence”. The suspect was immediately arrested and the weapons seized, and was presented to the judicial authorities this Thursday.
Judiciary Police arrested rapist on the run
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested, this Thursday, March 14th, in Loulé , a 46-year-old man, in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the Judicial Court of Faro, following a sentence of 5 years. and 6 months for committing a crime of rape.
The man was present for judicial interrogation, and the most serious measure of coercion was applied to him, preventive detention, which would be changed during the investigation phase to “obligation to remain in the residence subject to electronic surveillance”. The individual disregarded the measure, beginning a long period of escape that ended this Thursday, with his location and detention in the municipality of Loulé.
The detainee will be brought before the judicial authority to execute the preventive detention measure.
And finally we bring you a warning from the PSP!
The PSP have launched an alert on social media about a fraud scheme related to the purchase and sale of cars, on online platforms. This scheme, which has been gaining ground, is based on the cloning of legitimate vehicle sales advertisements.
According to the PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command, the fraudster’s modus operandi consists of copying vehicle sale advertisements, deceiving both the real seller and potential buyers. The criminal selects ads on popular platforms such as OLX, Facebook and Standvirtual and contacts advertisers, trying to obtain as much information about the vehicle in question.
Subsequently, the fraudster replicates the advertisement, using the same photos and characteristics of the vehicle, but with a sales price considerably lower than the actual value. This tactic aims to attract potential buyers by offering an attractive price.
The next step is to request that payment be made by bank transfer, indicating a NIB associated with an account controlled by the criminal. Once the transfer has been made, there is an intermediary who receives the money into your bank account and immediately withdraws the amount in cash. This intermediary receives a 20% commission on the amount transferred, while the rest is handed over to those truly responsible for the fraud.
This type of fraud has been worrying the authorities, due to its increasing incidence and the damage it causes to both legitimate sellers and potential buyers. The PSP advises users of online platforms to be alert to this type of scheme, carefully checking the legitimacy of the advertisements and avoiding making advance payments by bank transfer.
In the event of any suspicion of fraud, the PSP recommends that citizens contact the authorities immediately, in order to prevent more people from becoming victims of this type of crime.
Have a good week until the next time Stay Safe/.