The Algarve Report 3 July 2024
by Mike Evans
Good afternoon to you all. We start this report with the news recently published that the “Save Water” campaign which was set up in the Algarve earlier in the year has seen a 12% reduction in water usage for those establishments that signed up to the scheme which is commendable. However, we are met with the news this week that The amount of water stored fell in June in all river basins compared to the last day of the previous month, according to data from the National Water Resources Information System ( SNIRH ).
The Barlavento Algarve basin continues to be the one with the lowest amount of reserve water, falling from 22.3% in May to 20.8% in June.
At the end of June, the Mira basins also had less water availability, with 40.5% (41.4% in May) and Arade 40.8% (42.7% in May). The amount of water also fell in the Lima basins, from 76.1% to 53.5%, and in the Sado basin, from 72.3% to 66.7%.
On the last day of June, the Mondego (91.3%), Guadiana (87.4%), Cávado (87%), Oeste (85.7%), Douro (80%) and Tejo (77.9%) basins had the highest volume of water.
According to SNIRH data, of the 58 monitored reservoirs, 28 had water availability above 80% of the total volume and another six below 40%.
June 2024 storages by river basin are higher than the June storage averages (1990/91 to 2022/23), except for the Lima, Mira, Ribeiras do Algarve and Arade basins. Each river basin may have more than one reservoir.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), almost half of mainland Portugal was experiencing weak or moderate meteorological drought at the end of May, with a greater focus on the southern region.
So whilst there are many who are giving themselves a “pat” on the back for saving water there are obviously many across the region who are happily going about using water without a care in the world! It remains to be seen if we are going to get through the summer without any restrictions but let’s hope that people start to realise this precious resource is something we all need and must be preserved and used sparingly.
Now a look at some of the other stories that have happened across the region in the past week.
16-year-old arrested for murder in Faro
A 19-year-old man died yesterday, allegedly due to stab wounds, following an argument near Faro ‘s municipal swimming pools. The alleged killer, a 16-year-old boy, was later arrested, the PSP revealed. The Faro Public Security Police Command (PSP) said, in a statement, that it was called at 6:30 pm to a “dispute between citizens” in the city of Faro.
“Upon arriving at the scene, police officers came across a male victim with trauma to the chest caused “by a sharp weapon, who was treated at the scene by emergency teams,” it reads. “However, these efforts proved fruitless and death was declared at the scene,” he added.
The Judicial Police arrested the alleged murderer, a young teenager, aged 16, due to strong evidence of the crime of qualified homicide. “The confrontation had already been previously scheduled, between a group of young teenagers”, reveals the PJ.
Aware that they were outnumbered, the group of four young people that included the victim fled, being pursued by more than a dozen other teenagers. When they separated, the victim ended up being ambushed and fatally attacked.
“The investigative steps carried out by the Southern Directorate of the Judicial Police allowed the collection of relevant evidence that led to the complete identification of those involved, including the suspect responsible for the crime”, highlights the Judicial Police.
The detainee will be brought before the judicial authority for the purposes of initial questioning and application of coercive measures.
Man suspected of murder with a knife arrested in Albufeira
A 26-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, the 29th, due to “strong evidence” of the murder of another 77-year-old man, using a bladed weapon, in Albufeira, the Judicial Police (PJ) reported.
According to a statement published on the PJ website, the victim, owner of a commercial space, “was attacked with a sharp weapon, following an argument related to debts relating to the lease of the commercial space he owned, last Thursday”.
According to the PJ, the victim’s disappearance was reported to the authorities on Friday, late in the evening. The detainee “abandoned the body inside the establishment”, and the investigation by the Southern Directorate of the PJ “found that he was preparing to hide the body”, reads the note. The PJ also reveals that it collected “relevant evidence that led to the complete identification of the suspect”.
The detainee will be brought before the judicial authorities for the first judicial interrogation and application of coercive measures.
The investigation is led by the Albufeira Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution.
PJ arrests six people for criminal association in the real estate sector
The Judicial Police , through the Southern Directorate, as part of an investigation initiated in 2021, carried out a police operation in which four men and two women were arrested, on suspicion of committing the crimes of criminal association, qualified fraud, money laundering and document forgery, in the real estate sector, in the Algarve .
In the operation, “Orange”, led by the Regional DIAP of Évora, seven house searches and two company searches were also carried out, dozens of properties, 14 vehicles, a vessel, computer equipment and a large collection of documentary evidence were seized.
At issue is the investigation of an organised group, with several nationalities, resident in the Algarve and with links to the diaspora in other countries, who created in our country in Portugal an economic organisation in the real estate sector, entirely fraudulently financed by bank loans. The “modus operandi” involved the creation of companies under Portuguese law, through which they acquired hundreds of properties, the ownership of which, through simulated transactions, they immediately transferred to third parties.
In their name, and using false documents, they took out housing loans with Portuguese banking institutions, in amounts much higher than the initial purchase price of the goods, appropriating the difference, in addition to the proceeds from the subsequent use of the properties as tourist and residential accommodation.
To date, more than 20 companies controlled by the various suspects identified in the investigation have been identified, through which more than 300 properties were acquired and more than two hundred fraudulent financing agreements were contracted, with a total value of around 40 million euros.
The detainees will be brought before the first judicial interrogation with a view to applying coercive measures.
GNR launches “Operation Field”
The National Republican Guard (GNR) will carry out Operation Safe Field between 1 July, 2024 and 16 February, 2025. The operation’s objective is to bring awareness, patrolling, and inspection of agricultural and forestry farms throughout the national territory, in order to repress the practice of crimes of theft of agricultural products and machinery, crimes of Human Trafficking in the workplace and prevent the occurrence of accidents with agricultural and forestry vehicles or machinery.
During the operation, the GNR intends to raise awareness among the population in general and the rural population in particular, for the adoption of behaviours that can prevent possible criminal offences, namely the theft of agricultural products and machinery and the theft of non-precious metals; identify possible situations of exploitation in the context of work, namely those that may be related to Trafficking in Human Beings and also, raise awareness on safely driving agricultural and forestry vehicles and avoiding accidents.
In this way, patrol and inspection actions will be intensified in view of the seasonality of agricultural and forestry crops in each region, directing them to the places, days, and times of greatest risk, taking into account the history of theft, and control and inspection actions will also be developed to control and supervise the transport of agricultural and forestry products at the crossing points of the land border, in coordination with the Guardia Civil to tackle cross-border crime. Awareness-raising and information actions are also carried out with owners, and local and regional entities associated with farms to promote the dissemination of advice with a view to adopting behaviours that prevent theft.
Portugal’s rural firefighting force at ‘maximum capacity
Portugal’s rural firefighting force is being reinforced today to reach its maximum capacity, with 14,155 operatives, 3,162 teams and 3,174 vehicles on standby, with 72 aircraft.
The National Operational Directive (DON), which establishes this year’s Special Force for Fighting Rural Fires (DECIR), indicates that resources are being reinforced for the third time this year with the entry into force of the so-called ‘reinforced – Delta level’, which lasts until September 30.
Over the next three months, 14,155 personnel, 3,162 teams and 3,174 vehicles will be operational – numbers that could increase if necessary, since this year’s DECIR provides for the mobilisation of additional resources to respond to more serious situations. In this situation, the number of firefighters could exceed 20,000, a reinforcement that is made above all by volunteer firefighters.
This year’s DECIR provides for 70 aircraft for this period, which is considered the most critical, which could rise to 72 with the hiring of two heavy ‘Canadair’ aeroplanes, with the contract process still underway. Of the total number of operatives involved, the largest number belongs to the fire brigade (8,061), of which 3,794 are from Permanent Intervention Teams, followed by the ICNF (2,430), the GNR (1,946) and the Special Civil Protection Force (216), according to DON.
The firefighting force for this year has increased slightly compared to 2023, with the exception of the aerial resources, (numbers identical) – with 261 more operatives, 78 more teams and 183 more firefighting vehicles.
Provisional figures from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) indicate that 1,796 rural fires have broken out since the beginning of the year, consuming around 2,918 hectares – 56% of which refers to scrubland, 19% to forest stands and 25% to agricultural land.
In the same period in 2023, there had already been almost 4,000 fires and around 8,800 hectares burnt.
Until the next time stay safe