The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 24 August 2022
Civil Protection reinforces fire-fighting device in the region
The Civil Protection of the Algarve announced this Sunday a reinforcement of the observation device and means of fighting fires in rural areas, within the scope of the alert situation declared by the Government for the coming days.
In a statement, the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC) specified that 52 more observation teams were mobilised by the municipal civil protection services and 28 tracking machines were hired by the 16 municipalities in the district of Faro .
The alert situation for mainland Portugal was declared on Friday by the Government due to the risk of fire, a scenario that will remain at least until next Tuesday, following a heat wave that hits the country.
During this alert period, the CREPC/Algarve adds, there was also an increase of 11 intervention teams to combat rural fires, “totaling the regional device, 375 firefighters distributed among 90 teams positioned in strategic locations”.
In all the municipalities of the Algarve, he says, 22 concentration zones were also created, “key areas to accommodate the most vulnerable population in emergency situations”.
According to Civil Protection, the 52 rural observation teams are part of the operational prevention device coordinated by the National Republican Guard, “with means and resources” from municipalities, hunters’ associations and other collectivities.
“It is a muscular reinforcement for the early detection of possible ignitions in the barrocal and mountain areas” in the region, reads the note.
The 28 crawler machines “were strategically prepositioned according to the territorial reality of each municipality and are the guarantee of an anticipated projection by the regional command, in the expanded attack effort”.
The equipment is monitored by teams of forest clearers in conjunction with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, concluded the note from the Civil Protection of the Algarve.
Municipalities removed more than 58 thousand square metres of asbestos in 29 schools
Twelve municipalities in the Algarve have already removed more than 58,000 square metres of asbestos from school coverage, the Algarve’s Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ) announced this Monday.
With a total eligible investment of 3.5 million euros, 100% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the twelve municipalities involved in the operation completed the asbestos removal work in 29 teaching establishments from the 2nd and 2nd 3rd cycles, following the agreement established with the Government, which allowed access to European funds managed in the region for the removal of coatings made up of asbestos-containing fibre cement boards and accessories.
Adding together two broader requalification projects, in which the removal of asbestos is also planned, these interventions will improve operating conditions in 31 schools in the region.
Vila Real Beaches recognised with distinction by Turismo de Portugal
The beaches of the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António were awarded, by Turismo de Portugal, with the “Accessible Beach” Flag, under the Accessible Beach Program – Beach for All)!.
The initiative’s main objective is to provide bathing areas with a set of conditions that allow their universal use, without jeopardising age and mobility difficulties.
All the licensed and supervised beaches in the municipality – Santo António, Monte Gordo , Manta Rota and Lota – were awarded and, in addition to being accessible to people with reduced mobility, they provide comfort to visitors, through the provision of amphibious chairs in safety conditions.
Added to this service is the already existing network of adapted walkways, ramps and parking spaces reserved for vehicles at the service of people with disabilities, which, together, allow all users to enjoy a swim in the sea.
It is recalled that the beach of Manta Rota was already distinguished with the first place of the award “Beach + accessible”, being considered an example of good practices to be followed throughout the country.
Six arrested for driving with excessive alcohol in Vilamoura during Police crack down
The GNR detained on Friday, 19, in Vilamoura, six people for driving with excess blood alcohol, during an action to combat crime and serious accidents, it was announced on Saturday.
In a statement, the Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR) indicated that the “special operation” took place in the main accesses to Vilamoura.
According to that security force, in addition to the arrest of the six people who were driving with excess alcohol in their blood, the military detected a total of 31 different infractions that resulted in administrative offences.
Thus, 25 violations against the Highway Code were issued, three against regulatory legislation, one for lack of a safety plan, one for an expired security director card and one for outdated CCTV system (video surveillance system) symbology. The cases were referred to the Loulé Judicial Court.
Collision between two boats at the entrance to Olhao Harbour causes three injuries
A collision between two vessels caused three minor injuries at the entrance to the fishing port of Olhão , during the early hours of Friday, August 19, announced the National Maritime Authority.
A local fishing vessel that had five crew on board collided with another local auxiliary vessel with four people on it.
The alert was given shortly after midnight through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, and elements of the local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão, the Municipal Fire Department of Olhão and INEM were activated for the scene.
After the collision, the two vessels went to the fishing port of Olhão, where they docked safely, so that the slightly injured could be cared for.
Two of the slightly injured were later transported to a hospital and the two vessels were inspected, and severe structural damage was found.
The local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão took care of the occurrence.
Loule Municipality Reinforces Measures to Combat Lack of Water
With the worsening of the drought in the country, and at a time when the population in the municipality is considerably higher than the rest of the year, due to the number of tourists who are there on vacation, the municipality of Loulé decided this week to reinforce its response to the water shortage.
In this way, measures based on the recently approved Plan are being implemented
Contingency Council for Dry Periods, in addition to those in force since the 20th of July, in consultation with the other municipalities in the Algarve.
The Loulé City Council will extend the closure of the indoor swimming pools in Loulé and Quarteira until the end of September and close the outdoor swimming pools in Loulé and Salir on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting next Monday , August 22. These outdoor equipment will remain open on the remaining days and during their normal opening hours. As a whole, the sum of the measures in force since 20 July with these new ones to be applied from next week should mean a total saving of 4,200 m3 or 4,200,000 litres of water, which would be the average consumption of 420 dwellings during the whole month.
Also with regard to the aforementioned public sports facilities, measures will be implemented to reduce water consumption by users and employees, which will include the installation of flow reducers in existing faucets and showers and the installation of timers in the showers that don’t have them yet.
Another initiative, now approved, will be the reduction or suspension of irrigation in some of the green spaces of the municipality, with this irrigation being carried out, whenever possible, manually and using water from Bicas Velhas.The municipal services will also resort to alternative sources of water for washing streets and pavements, with the vehicles that carry out these washings being supplied with water sources such as the one in Bicas Velhas.
Waste Tip Fire in Loule Must be Extinguished says ARS
The Public Health Authority of the Algarve determined this Monday “the immediate extinction” of the sources of burning material at the waste plant of the company Inertegarve, in Vale da Venda (Loulé), whose dump was affected by a fire in July.
The determination of the regional health delegate was expressed in a note published on the website of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS), following the air quality monitoring report commissioned by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ). .
The precautionary measure arises “following the confirmation of the analytical results, of the parameters Particles in Suspension (PM10) and Benzene, above the indicative values used by analogy as a reference […]”, maintains Ana Cristina Guerreiro.
The fire at the Inertegarve company dump, located in Vale da Venda, in the municipality of Loulé , resulted from the fire that broke out on July 14 in Gambelas, in the municipality of Faro, and which spread to the neighbouring municipality.
Since the fire started local residents have been calling for it to be extinguished but for the past few weeks their calls were being ignored, even though the operating licence of the company was suspended.
According to the statement on their website, “The joint visit on the initiative of the Health Authority and the GNR, which are territorially competent, accompanied by other entities, resulted in the recognition of the suspected risk to public health and the urgent need [for the company] to completely stop the outbreaks of combustion”, reads the note.
The assessment “on the possible presence of critical levels of pollution in the face of an environmental accident” carried out for nine days by the company Monitar – Engenharia do Ambiente, through a mobile station, detected “the concentration of values above the indicative reference levels for the parameters PM10 and Benzene particles”, underlines the note from the Algarve Regional Health Authority.