The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 20th November 2024
by Mike Evans
A very good day to you all and the big news of the week has to be that the downpours we have been experiencing in the past couple of weeks have certainly helped the reservoirs that feed the Algarve region.
The six dams that supply the Algarve are currently at 34% of their total water storage capacity, having increased by five percentage points with the rains of recent days, according to data from the Portuguese Environment Agency ( APA ).
The Algarve dams have a total volume of around 154 cubic hectometres (hm3), corresponding to 34% of the total storage capacity, with “the rains of the last few days allowing 26 hm3 to be stored, which is equivalent to 35% of the needs of the urban and tourism sector”, said the president of APA.
Despite an improvement in the situation in the region of the country most affected by the drought, José Pimenta Machado defended the need to maintain savings measures, as it is not known what the evolution of water volumes will be in the future. “We are better off than we were before, but we have to maintain the same objective, the same plan to save water in the different sectors. That is, for the urban sector 10% and for agriculture and tourism 13%,” he said.
On the other hand, compared to the same period in 2023, there was an increase of approximately 39 hm3 of stored water, with the capacity of the dams increasing from 115 hm3 in the same period (26% of capacity) to 154 hm3 (34%). “The model presented in May, with the easing of cuts, is aligned with the available water reserves,” insisted the president of APA.
The Government decided in May to ease the restrictions previously imposed on water consumption in agriculture and the urban sector in the Algarve, including tourism, to tackle the drought in the region. Restrictions imposed on water consumption increased from 25% to 13% in agriculture and from 15% to 10% in the urban sector.
The Odeleite dam is now at 46% of its capacity (59.36 hm3), the Beliche dam at 38% (18.09 hm3) and the Funcho dam at 37% (17.70 hm3). In the windward (west) region the percentages are less important, with the Odelouca dam registering 31% of its capacity (49.16 hm3), the Arade dam 17% (4.88 hm3) and the Bravura dam 13% (4.40 hm3).
Following the rains that hit the Algarve between Thursday and Friday, Pimenta Machado wanted to leave a message of “solidarity” to the affected populations, praising the municipalities and regional Civil Protection for the work they did. So with a bit more rain we should all be ok until next summer.
Now a look at what else has happened in the past week or two.
Train Derailed Due To Bad Weather
A regional train was derailed on the 16th November between Fuseta and Olhão, interrupting train circulation on that route. The accident was caused by the presence of rocks on the Algarve Line caused by the torrential rain. Firefighters were called to the scene but the accident did not cause any injuries and passenger transport is being carried out via road transfer on the route between Fuseta and Olhão, with the rest of the Algarve Line operating normally.
Images shared on social media show the regional train, bound for Faro, off the tracks. Train 5702 runs daily, departing Vila Real de Santo António at 6:39 a.m. and arriving in Faro at 7:46 a.m. The district of Faro is one of three under yellow warning this Saturday, due to the possibility of heavy rain.
Heavy Rain Caused Flooding In Olhao
Several streets in the city of Olhão were flooded this Friday, the 15th, due to the heavy rain that fell at the end of the morning, with greater incidence in the eastern Algarve, said a source from Civil Protection.
According to a source from the Algarve District Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the heavy rain flooded several public roads in that city, however, without causing personal damage.
“Between 00:00 and 11:30, seven incidents were recorded in the region, but none were serious, and at the end of the morning, in a short space of time, there were several localised floods in the city of Olhão,” he said.
According to the source, the affected areas are low points where a large concentration of water usually occurs when it rains heavily in a short space of time. One of the flooded areas is a tunnel located under the railway line, on one of the city’s main avenues.
“For now, we have no record of road closures or more serious situations,” concluded the Civil Protection source. Meanwhile in other places across the Algarve, In Faro , there was a record of a fallen tree and, also, in Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo, in the municipality of Tavira , there were small floods.
Prime Minister Gives Assurances to Algarve over Preparedness of Floods
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro assured on Thursday, the 14th, that a plan is being prepared by Civil Protection to “mitigate” the peaks of rainfall and the possibility of flooding that may occur in the Algarve and Alentejo.
“We are in the Algarve, in the area of the country where it is most difficult to capture and retain water. Today we are experiencing flooding in the Algarve, and we will continue to do so in the coming days,” he warned on Thursday.
“We are, moreover, preparing our entire Civil Protection system to be able to mitigate the peaks of rainfall and the possibilities of flooding that are expected to occur in the coming days in the Algarve and Alentejo,” he added.
The head of government was speaking during the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Castelo de Vide Medicinal Alkaline Water Company, acquired by the Super Bock Group in 1971, giving rise to the current Vitalis collection and filling centre.
The centre and south of the country are expected to be particularly affected by strong hailstorms, accompanied by thunderstorms, over the next three days, according to a warning from Civil Protection, regarding the possibility of extreme wind phenomena.
Based on forecasts from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere ( IPMA ), Civil Protection issued a warning to the population that “greater potential for severity” is expected in the lower Alentejo and Algarve. In light of the forecasts, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority warned of the possibility of flooding in urban areas, floods caused by the overflow of rivers and streams and landslides.
There is also the possibility of contamination of drinking water by “inerts resulting from rural fires”. The dragging of loose objects onto the roads, or the detachment of mobile or poorly secured structures, due to strong winds can “cause accidents involving vehicles in circulation” and pedestrians on public roads, the Authority specified in a statement.
In the Algarve, the heavy rain that fell on Thursday morning for around 20 minutes flooded roads in Moncarapacho, in the municipality of Olhão, and cellars and shops in downtown Albufeira , said a source from Civil Protection.
Albufeira was the municipality in the district of Faro where the highest number of incidents were recorded, five of which were on public roads, followed by Moncarapacho, but none of them were serious.
Escaped Prisoner recaptured in Lagoa
An Algerian prisoner who had escaped on Tuesday, the 12th, from the Lisbon Court of Appeal was captured this morning in Estômbar , in the municipality of Lagoa, announced the GNR .
“It should be clarified that today, November 13, at around 9:40 am, in the town of Estômbar in Lagoa, the suspect who escaped from the Lisbon Court of Appeal yesterday was arrested”, reads a statement sent by the GNR.
That security force adds that the escapee was “spotted on the public road” by the Guard’s military personnel, after a complaint from a woman.
“When approaching the suspect, and given the dangerous nature of the intervention, he was searched and it was found that he was in possession of the handcuffs with which he had fled,” the note states.
Then, according to the statement, the suspect was arrested and transported to the Lagoa Territorial Post facilities, where his identity was confirmed, with the collaboration of the PSP.
The note states that the detainee will now be brought before the Lisbon Court of Appeal and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) was informed of this occurrence.
The Public Security Police (PSP) had opened an internal investigation on Tuesday to determine the circumstances of the Algerian prisoner’s escape from the Lisbon Court of Appeal, where he was to be heard. In a statement released on Tuesday, the PSP said that, at around 10:20 am, the detainee, who was in the custody of that police force, fled “upon arrival at the Lisbon TRL, where he was going to be presented to the Judicial Authority” because there was a European arrest warrant issued by the German authorities for him, for the crime of arson.
“The police officers who were transporting the detainee were surprised” when, upon opening the door of the police vehicle, the suspect began to flee and managed to free himself from the handcuffs on one of his wrists during his journey, explains the PSP.
The detainee, according to the PSP, “was immediately pursued by the police officers who were at the scene”, but managed to escape and was last seen on Rua Vítor Cordon.
“The information was immediately broadcast to all Subunits of the Lisbon Metropolitan Command (Cometlis) via radio, via the Operational Command and Control Center, where the detainee’s escape occurred, and, to date, several resources from different PSP departments are committed to locating the escaped man,” the note reads.
According to a source from the PSP, the 36-year-old Algerian citizen was arrested on Sunday in the departures area of Humberto Delgado airport, in Lisbon, under a European arrest warrant.
Man Arrested in Vilamoura with Over 600 packets of Hashish
The GNR have arrested a 22 year old man for drug trafficking in Vilamoura, seizing more than six hundred doses of hashish that the man had in his possession. The arrest was made after a road inspection operation, when the GNR “stopped the man’s vehicle and found that the driver was displaying suspicious behaviour”.
On investigation, it was found that the suspect “had a large quantity of a narcotic product in his possession, which led to his arrest”. Police seized 645 doses of hashish and a cell phone.
Five Detained in Albufeira as part of Safety Campaign
The National Republican Guard (GNR) arrested five people on Monday for driving under the influence of alcohol and drug trafficking, in traffic inspection operations and in establishments in the municipality of Albufeira according to Lusa.
The police action took place within the scope of the “Portugal Semper Seguro” campaign, with the aim of “promoting the reinforcement of the feeling of security and the reduction of general crime rates in the municipality of Albufeira”, stated the Territorial Command of the GNR of Faro in a statement .
According to the police, three commercial establishments and 45 foreign citizens were inspected, and the operation resulted in the arrest of four people for driving under the influence of alcohol, and one for drug trafficking and the seizure of 224 doses of hashish.
17 traffic offences were also filed, five for drug consumption, five for violations of labour and social security legislation and three for general police purposes, the GNR specified.
The operation involved a total of 39 officers from the criminal investigation, borders, intervention and traffic areas. The “Portugal Semper Seguro” campaign, which has been taking place across the country, aims to “increase citizens’ sense of security”, through joint actions involving security forces and State agencies.
The initiative, under the coordination of the Internal Security System (SIS), includes the GNR, PSP, Judicial Police, Authority for Working Conditions, Social Security, Tax Authority, Food and Economic Security Authority and the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum.
36 Arrests Across the Algarve In GNR Weekly Operation
The GNR’s weekly operational activity to combat crime and road inspection resulted in the arrest of 36 people, including 14 for driving without a legal licence, 12 for driving under the influence of alcohol and one for drug trafficking. Between the 11th and 17th of November, 646 doses of hashish, three pressure pistols, and a shotgun were also seized.
In traffic, 574 infractions were detected, 70 of which were related to anomalies in the lighting and signalling systems; 64 due to lack of mandatory periodic inspection; 18 due to lack of civil liability insurance; 15 for improper use of a cell phone while driving; 13 for speeding and eight for lack of or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child restraint systems.
During the same period there were 123 accidents, resulting in 24 minor injuries and two serious injuries.
Until the next time Stay Safe