The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 5th February 2025
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all. With all the rain we have had in the past week or so it is pleasing to hear that the reservoirs that feed the Algarve are at 50% and should have enough water for us to use until well into 2026. At the same time there was news that The Government has decided to propose to the European Commission (EC) the transfer of funding for the Albufeira Desalination Plant and the Pomarão Water Intake projects, on the Guadiana, initially planned in the Recovery and Resilience Programme ( RRP ), to the Climate Action and Sustainability Programme (Sustainable 2030).
According to a statement sent to newsrooms, this transfer is part of the reprogramming of funds (PRR and PT 2030, in which Sustentável 2030 is integrated), which is in the process of being submitted to the European Commission.
For the Government, this decision brings several advantages, such as “an increase in the contribution of community funding to projects, which could reach 85%, a two-year extension of the deadline for carrying out works and greater flexibility in management”. The note states that the Pisão Dam project will also follow its normal course, “no longer being integrated into the PRR and now being financed by Portugal 2030 and the State Budget”.
The Albufeira Desalination Plant, Pomarão Water Intake and Pisão Dam projects are of great importance in the set of measures that have been taken to ensure the water resilience of the Algarve and Alentejo, a commitment made by the Government from the outset.
On this subject, Cristóvão Norte, president of PSD Algarve, assures that “the decision to build the desalination plant and capture water from Pomarão are moving forward. They are a reality. No delays from the past will stop the projects. The origin of the financing is not relevant, what is important is its implementation”. There is still a lot of opposition from various groups opposed to the desalination plant being built and it remains to be seen if this change of funding will have any effect on the governments thinking regarding the best way to go to ensure the region has a good supply of water.
Now for a look at some of the other news stories from the region.
Parachutists Rescued From Sea near Ferragudo
Four parachutists, two instructors of Portuguese nationality and two practitioners of Scottish nationality, were today, January 31, assisted by the crew of the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station, after having fallen into the water while practicing the activity, next to Três Irmãos beach, in the municipality of Portimão .
Following an alert received at 11:25 am, through a parachuting services company, crew members from the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station and members of the local command of the Portimão Maritime Police were activated. Members of the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters and the INEM Emergency and Resuscitation Medical Vehicle (VMER) also went to the scene. When they arrived at the scene, the Lifeguard Station crew collected the equipment from the water and helped the swimmers, who were showing “signs of fatigue”.
According to the National Maritime Authority , the victims were assisted by members of the VMER, with one of the instructors, aged 40, being transported to a hospital by firefighters, showing signs of “exhaustion and hypothermia”.
The local command of the Portimão Maritime Police took charge of the incident.
Albufeira Leads the Way in Automatic External Defibrillator Program Nationwide
12 new defibrillation units have been installed recently in places such as Galé beach, Ribeiro Park, Branqueira, Estrada das Fontainhas, Olhos de Água beach, Estrada das Açoteias, Rossio, Almeijoafras ( Paderne ), Albufeira Road, Vilamoura Road, Cerro do Ouro Educational Center and Albufeira Multipurpose Space, according to a note from Albufeira City Council.
The municipality’s investment in this type of equipment makes Albufeira the municipality with the most AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) of a community nature, in absolute terms, nationwide. At the beginning of 2025, there were already a total of 62 AEDs integrated into the Community PDAE, placing the municipality ahead of other Portuguese municipalities with AED equipment installed on public roads.
This investment, which amounts to around 100 thousand euros per year, is also the largest recorded in the country. Currently, considering only its DAE Programme, Albufeira has in its geographical area around 14 facilities for every 10 thousand inhabitants, a number significantly higher than the national average, which is an average of four facilities for the same number of people.
The Mayor , José Carlos Rolo, emphasizes that “with this DAE Program, Albufeira effectively invests in training the population and community assistance, aiming to protect human life”.
In addition to purchasing and installing equipment, the local authority has invested heavily in training and capacity building for the population, offering courses in Basic Life Support (BLS) with AEDs for residents. To date, more than 1,400 people have been included in the Program as community first responders, a number that represents around 3% of the population living in the municipality.
The local authority would like to point out that over the last two years, simulation exercises have also been carried out with the aim of testing the functionality of the programme, both in terms of human resources and the technological component, as well as in the simulation of response times. These exercises have demonstrated the effectiveness of the programme and the usefulness of AED equipment on public roads and in municipal facilities.
In order to speed up response times to medical emergencies, the Albufeira PDAE is directly connected to the security and rescue forces, who receive information about the activation of equipment in real time.
Since the implementation of the program, there have been several successful cases. In 2021, a 21-year-old Portuguese man was saved by one of these devices, and the same happened in the case of a 27-year-old Irish man in 2024.
11-year-old Child Dies After Being Hit by a Truck in Albufeira
An 11-year-old child died on Thursday, the 30th, after being fatally run over by a truck on an avenue in the city of Albufeira, revealed a source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command ( CREPC ).
The rescue teams received the alert at 5:32 pm and, upon arriving at the scene, they came across “a hit-and-run by a heavy goods vehicle”, which resulted in the death of the girl, a Brazilian national, the same source added.
The accident occurred “in an urban area, right within Albufeira”, on one of the city’s main avenues, Avenida dos Descobrimentos, he said.
The CDOS source highlighted that the child still received assistance, but death was declared, at the scene, by the doctor from the Emergency and Resuscitation Medical Vehicle (VMER) of the National Institute of Medical Emergency ( INEM ).
Providing assistance at the scene were 23 operatives, including members of the Albufeira Fire Department, INEM and GNR, with nine vehicles.
Man Arrested for Threatening Behaviour Against Police Officers
A 65 year old man was arrested on Tuesday, after two off-duty police officers from the Special Police Unit came across the individual “committing dangerous driving acts.”
The two police officers, while driving their private vehicle in Faro, came across the man, who was “committing dangerous driving acts, a circumstance that almost culminated in a traffic accident”, says the PSP. “The suspect insulted and threatened the police officers using a bladed weapon, at which point they identified themselves by showing their professional ID, and immobilized the suspect”.
With the assistance of the Faro Criminal Investigation Squad, a search of the suspect and his house were carried out, which resulted in the seizure of 197 individual doses of cocaine, a bladed weapon with a total length of 30 centimetres and around €3100 in cash.
The detainee already has a “criminal record for violent crimes and drug trafficking”, says the PSP.
“Taxa Zero” Road Safety Campaign Begins on 4 February.
A new road safety campaign starts across the country tomorrow, lasting until Monday February 10, and will be out in force on the nation’s road, breathalysing drivers. The focus will be on “taxa zero” – zero sign of alcohol in the blood.
As if the campaign needed any explanation, a statement by the police/ ANSR (authority for road safety) states:
“In Portugal in 2023, one in four drivers killed in road accidents had a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g/l or more and three in four of these drivers had a level of 1.2 g/l or more. Of all the road accident victims autopsied, 23% had a blood alcohol level higher than the legally permitted limit, of which 73% exceeded the level considered criminal (=1.20 g/l).
Until the next time Stay Safe..