The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 29th November 2023
by Mike Evans
A very good day to you all reading this from the Algarve and beyond. With the cold days becoming more regular we are all looking at ways to stay warm and for many the Wood Burner is a staple part of living here in Portugal. However, these don’t come without their safety issues and if you are using one for the first time, or you have had a new one installed since last winter you should check that it is working correctly.
Here are a few Do’s to consider- DO—make sure there is enough clearance between the stove and combustible materials, including floors, walls and ceilings. DO—place the stove on a noncombustible, fire resistant base. DO—have a mason or other competent person inspect the chimney. DO—burn only dry, well-seasoned wood. Not all wood is the same. Burn dry, seasoned wood to reduce particle pollution. Split wood dries much faster. Softwoods, such as Douglas fir, need six months to dry. Hardwoods like oak need at least 12 months. Never burn garbage, plastic, treated lumber, or driftwood– they emit toxic fumes and particles.
If it is an old burner, Use a wire brush to clean your stove pipe and chimney at least once a year. Also, occasionally use controlled, high-temperature fires in the stove or furnace. Don’t bother with the salt-based chemical cleaners. And never use heavy items such as chains, bricks or a brush on the end of a rope, because they could seriously damage the interior chimney lining.
Now a look at some of the stories from around the region in the past week.
Water scarcity in the Algarve is the “worst ever”, according to the APA
The water shortage in the Algarve is the “worst ever” and if this scenario continues, at the beginning of 2024 it may be necessary to impose limits on consumption, admitted on Monday the vice-president of the Portuguese Environment Agency ( APA ) .
“This year, the Algarve is worse than last year, it is in the worst situation ever. We’ve never been like this. It is a new path that we are taking”, stated José Pimenta Machado at the National Meeting of Water Management Entities (ENEG) which started until Thursday in Gondomar.
The situation is of “particular concern”, and could “eventually” lead the APA to “take difficult measures”, in January or February, he anticipated, revealing during his intervention that the group of reservoirs in the Algarve region currently accounts for 30 hectometers less cubic (hm3) than in 2022.
On the sidelines of the event, José Pimenta Machado clarified that APA monitors the water level in the reservoirs daily, and decisions are made based on this analysis.
“Everything has to be evaluated based on water reserves. We are in the middle of winter and it is in winter that the reservoirs recover water. We will have to carry out rigorous and continuous monitoring of the evolution of the level of the reservoirs and then, eventually, in January, February, we will have to take measures so that, above all, there is no shortage of water”, he stressed.
The vice-president of APA took the opportunity to point out the control of water consumption and the strengthening of groundwater inspection as possible measures to mitigate water scarcity. The official also said that the situation in the Mira River Basin, in Alentejo, is similar to the Algarve region, however, in that case, “human consumption is more than safeguarded”.
According to the weekly reservoir bulletin of November 20, the volume stored increased in three river basins in the country and decreased in 12 compared to the previous week.
According to the same document, there are five reservoirs with a storage percentage that does not exceed 20%: Campilhas (6%), Monte da Rocha (8%), Vigia (16%), Arade (15%) and Bravura (8%), the last two in the Algarve.
José Pimenta Machado – who participated in the afternoon in a round table on adapting to the new European directives on water – was, however, satisfied with the work carried out by the ‘task force’ created in June to mitigate the effects of drought in that region. At that time, the Government decreed a reduction in the quota of water for agricultural use and for golf courses by 20% in the Odeleite dam, in Castro Marim . If golf courses have the capacity to reuse wastewater, the limitation increases to 50%.
The measures came at a time when a third of the country was in severe and extreme drought, with the Algarve and Alentejo raising the greatest concerns.
This was confirmed by the vice-president of APA, who said that in some stations in the Cávado and Lima basins, precipitation values in the order of 1,000 litres were recorded: “that is, it rained more in 15 days in that area than it rains in two years throughout the Algarve region”, he highlighted, adding that these phenomena bring added challenges.
The official also recalled that investments are being made in the Algarve region to find alternative sources, such as the project to build a desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira, which is under public consultation until December 19th.
Public investments of around 342 million euros are also planned from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and European funds, to increase water resilience.
Three arrested for drug trafficking in Silves
Two men and a woman, aged between 25 and 56, were arrested on Thursday, the 23rd, for drug trafficking, in the municipality of Silves, GNR reported today. According to a statement, the military from that security force carried out two search warrants, one at home and the other in a vehicle, in the town of Tunes , as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, which had been going on for around two months.
The GNR also seized in the same operation, among others, 15 cannabis plants, 206 doses of marijuana, two doses of hashish and a pistol.
The detainees were made defendants and the facts were communicated to the Portimão Judicial Court.
2 Arrested suspected of attempted murder and robbery in Portimão
The Judiciary Police , through the DIC of Portimão, identified and detained two men, for the alleged responsibility for attempted murder and robbery crimes, committed last July, in Portimão, it was announced today. “During an attempted robbery with a sharp weapon, in a vacant place in the centre of Portimão, the suspects attacked the victim with several stab wounds to the torso and upper limbs, taking into account that he refused to reveal the location where the money was located, which they intended to steal”, details the PJ in a statement.
“After the robbery was foiled, they fled without assisting or providing assistance to the victim, who was left in a very serious condition, only not dying because she was assisted, intervened and hospitalised, a situation that still persists, with an organ having been removed that , due to the injuries, he was in an irreversible state”, the note continues.
The detainees, aged 22 and 25, with criminal records, were present for the first judicial interrogation, having been imposed the measure of coercion of periodic presentations and the prohibition of contact with the victim.
The investigation is held by the Public Ministry of Portimão.
Man arrested with more than 5,300 doses of heroin in the municipality
A 29-year-old man was arrested on Monday, November 20th, in the municipality of Loulé , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard. The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command , through the Loulé Criminal Investigation Unit, following a tip.
The military carried out police investigations and located the suspect’s vehicle, which hid 5,356 doses of heroin in the engine compartment.
During a search of the suspect’s residence, two cell phones, a laptop, a precision scale and several plastic bags for storing the drug were also seized.
The detainee was present at the Judicial Court of Faro, for the application of coercive measures.
Man Arrested in Tavira, author of threats to police who was wanted for murder
Police authorities arrested a man for threatening and insulting police officers, in Tavira, and who was wanted for other crimes, including murder, abroad, the PSP announced today .After appearing before the Court of Appeal of Évora, which has jurisdiction to decide on cases of extradition of foreign citizens subject to European arrest warrants, the 53-year-old detainee entered a prison, where he will wait until he is extradited, according to the PSP in a statement, without specifying the man’s nationality.
In the note, the PSP reveals that the police officers were carrying out civil service and, during a conversation with other people, “the detainee, without any reason to predict it, addressed them with threats and insults”.
The agents identified themselves as police officers, but the man “maintained his aggressive behaviour” and made “death threats”, ending up being “handcuffed and handcuffed, with the help of citizens, given the resistance and violence” he demonstrated, even according to PSP.
“As he is a foreign citizen, information was requested through international police cooperation channels, and it was found that the citizen had already been convicted of serious crimes, such as the crime of qualified homicide in 2005”, reads the note from the District Command of Faro from PSP.
According to the PSP, the detainee was also “indicted, after 2020, for other violent crimes such as robbery, sexual abuse and offenses against physical integrity”, in addition to being the target of complaints for other crimes, “such as damage, theft and rape of domicile”.
GNR chase Truck Driver from Tavira to Guadiana Bridge
The GNR chased a truck on the A22 on Friday night, all the way from the Tavira junction to the Guadiana bridge.
Several other drivers on the A22 had alerted emergency services to the irregular driving of a heavy vehicle weaving “between the left and right lanes” of the A22.
The GNR pursued the truck driver from the Tavira junction, all the way to the Guadiana bridge, alerting the Spanish Guardia Civil of the situation.
The Guardia Civil in Spain eventually managed to intercept the vehicle on the A-49, in the Huelva area, and the driver was detained.
Road inspections and infractions rise across the whole of the country
During the first seven months of the year, 81.5 million vehicles were inspected in person and through automatic means, 12.6% more compared to the same period in 2022, and 694,000 infractions were detected. According to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), regarding infractions, there was a similar increase (12.2%), according to the road accident report across the whole of Portugal.
The vast majority (67%) were due to speeding (+21.6%): “There were increases in almost all types of infractions, highlighting, in addition to speeding, those relating to the system child restraint (+40.0%) and lack of insurance (+19.4%), among others”, reads the document
Regarding driving under the influence of alcohol, between January and July 2023, 1.12 million drivers were tested, which represents an increase of 29.3% compared to the same period in 2022. Road crime, measured in total number of arrests, increased by 12.2% compared to 2022, reaching 21.2 thousand drivers. Of the total, 55.4% was due to driving under the influence of alcohol (+12.9%), followed by 35.0% due to lack of a legal driving licence (+17.4%).
Since the points licence system came into force in June 2016, the number of drivers who lost points on their driving licence was 618,800 by the end of July 2023.
Since June 2016, 2,666 drivers have lost their licence (due to revocation), according to the same source.
Finally as we get closer to the Christmas period we all need to be mindful of safety and security issues both when we are out on the roads as well as when we are in our homes. Here are a few hints to be mindful of at this time of the year.
When it comes to Christmas decorations in the home, never leave candles unattended and make sure you put them out before going to bed. Never put candles on the Christmas trees. Beware of trailing cables and wires. Tripping on lights cables may result in trees falling over or worse accidents.
If you are spending Christmas away from home, It’s always exciting to share holiday memories, but avoid posting too much information about your travel plans on social media. The wrong people may find out you are away from home and take advantage of your absence.
Glimpsing a twinkling Christmas tree through a neighbourhood window makes most of us warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, not every passer-by has good intentions, so make sure to obscure outsiders’ views into your living space.