Algarve Situation Report Wednesday July 6th 2022
by Mike Evans
Welcome to another situation report from the sunny Algarve. We start off this report by reiterating the need to be vigilant against rural fires especially during this period where we have seen very hot days with a lot of wind and very low humidity. The long range forecast for the Algarve is that we will continue to see temperatures reach as high as 40 degrees with winds on some days over 20km per hour.
For the next couple of days the maximum temperatures will be between 25 and 35 degrees, higher inland, and the minimum between 15 and 20 degrees, but from the end of the week we have a different situation. with an increase in temperature to values between 35 and 40, which may be higher in some places, mainly in the Tagus Valley, interior of Alentejo, Algarve and eastern Algarve”, said meteorologist Bruno Café, from Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).
According to Bruno Café, as of Wednesday, a “flow from the east quadrant in the circulation of an anticyclone located northeast of the Azores, extending in crest to Central Europe, will transport a mass of hot and dry air over the mainland territory”.
“In addition to the maximums, we will also have an increase in the minimums associated with tropical nights, that is, above 20 degrees in some places such as the Algarve , highlands and Tagus Valley”, he said.
With the hazards come a number of restrictions which we point out each day on our Facebook page and on our website so please if you are reading this for the first time as a visitor to the region, please make sure you are aware of what can and cannot be done during these times.According to the IPMA meteorologist, this hot weather situation, with high temperatures, should continue at least until the middle of the month.
Portable x-ray unit makes primary care more inclusive in the Algarve
A new portable X ray machine which can be transported in a light car, is allowing an “innovative” response for people unable to get to Hospitals or are housebound in the Algarve, the Regional Health Administration ( ARS ) announced this Monday 3 July.
The project, called “Radiology in the Community”, is “innovative in the region” and “enhances the inclusive access of users to a radiology service without requiring travel to a health unit”, avoiding “all the logistics associated with the transport of these users and family members”, points out ARS from the Algarve.
“We are pioneers at a national level in the acquisition and use of this equipment, with enormous advantages for users and professionals, as it adds value to primary health care”, says the chairman of the board of directors of ARS do Algarve, Paulo Morgado, quoted in the communicated.
Also according to Paulo Morgado, “radiology is a priority area” and the use of portable equipment “allows the National Health Service to be brought to people’s homes, reinforcing close relationships” with users with greater mobility difficulties.
“The implementation of this project in the primary health care of ARS Algarve, through the use of a portable X-ray equipment [Portable X-Ray Unit FDR Xair] guarantees more comfort and convenience to users in carrying out radiology exams”, underlines the body supervised by the Ministry of Health. In order to respond to this, ARS has prepared a “team of Senior Technicians in Health, Diagnosis and Therapeutics in the area of Radiology” that will “go to the facilities of the entities that request their services” and guarantee “the appropriate safety and protection guidelines”. use of the new equipment”.
“The diagnosis of the exams carried out on the chest, supported by Artificial Intelligence, is immediately available to the requesting doctor on a digital platform that also allows the comparison of the current radiological exam with another exam performed previously”, highlights the ARS.
Also mentioned in the statement, the coordinator of the radiology service at ARS do Algarve, Paula Simãozinho, highlights the “great bet” that has been made in this specialty in recent years and that has allowed advances “in digitization, image storage and Artificial Intelligence”.
Also according to the official, given the success of the initiative, “the acquisition of more portable X-ray units is being planned to provide the entire region with this service”.
APA authorises deepening and widening of the port of Portimão
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) gave a “favourable” opinion so that the port of Portimão can receive larger cruise ships, but the project is subject to the prior realisation of an underwater archaeological survey.
“I declare as positive that there is a declaration of favourable environmental impact, even if conditioned”, said the president of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ).
José Apolinário stressed, at a press conference, that the decision “allows us to move forward to a new phase”: to articulate with the municipalities of Portimão and Lagoa and with the Administration of the Porto de Sines and Algarve “the funding procedure” regarding research underwater archaeological site indicated as a “precondition”.
When implemented, the project for “deepening and widening the navigation channel of the Port of Portimão” will allow ships up to 272 metres in length to be received at the mouth of the Arade River – currently it receives ships up to 210 metres -, passing the dredging depth of the current eight metres to 10 metres, the rotation basin from 355 metres to 500 metres, allowing the doubling of the reception capacity of passengers and tourists from cruise ships in the region.
“The environmental and project justification decisions are now created to make the Port of Portimão, on the Arade River, one of the reference ports for cruise tourism”, highlighted José Apolinário, adding that it is “good news for tourism”. , for the sustainable use of the ocean and for the economy of the sea in the Algarve region”.
The president of the CCDR do Algarve indicated that he now has “three tasks and ambitions”: to defend the allocation of the necessary funding that, by the second half of 2024, will allow carrying out the preliminary research work on underwater archaeological finds; defend the financing of the decarbonization of the Porto Urbano de Portimão, so that the vessels when stopped can use renewable energy sources (until the end of 2024); and to boost and strengthen maritime connections for cruise ships and passengers between Portugal and Andalusia (Cadiz-Seville-Portimão-Lisbon connections) and in the Mediterranean access basin.
Man arrested in Carvoeiro with eight canisters of nitrous oxide
A 22-year-old man was arrested in Carvoeiro for drug trafficking and had eight bottles of nitrous oxide in his possession, announced the National Republican Guard (GNR).
The arrest took place on 2 July and was carried out by the Faro Territorial Command , through the Carvoeiro Territorial Post, in a visibility patrol action. The GNR military approached a suspicious vehicle and carried out an inspection, having found the bottles and 15 doses of hashish. Subsequently, after the suspect was arrested, 220 euros in cash, a mobile phone and a bag of balloons were seized. The suspect was made an accused and the facts were sent to the Judicial Court of Portimão.
CDS/Silves warns of carob thefts
The CDS of Silves warned this week of the robberies of carobs that have taken place in recent days, even with the pods “still green”.
According to the statement, despite the official bean harvest season starting only in August, thefts are already being recorded but the CDS de Silves considers that the seizures of some cases “do not solve the problem, because a profound resolution has not been presented. ”.
“The volume of beans stolen in the Algarve tripled from 2018 to 2020, because the price per arroba has also increased substantially, and because marketing does not require documentation of land ownership, nor leasing contracts, and intermediaries and industrial shredders buy carob from those who present themselves to them without an invoice, as they buy it cheaper”, explains CDS/Silves.
According to the note, “both benefit: those who steal don’t mind selling cheaper and without an invoice; whoever buys it also doesn’t mind buying the stolen carob, since he buys it cheaper and sells it at the market price. Only the owner is harmed!”.
The CDS de Silves also accuses the Socialist Party Government of not having done anything to solve this problem, as does the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries. Regarding the “Campo Seguro” operation, the CDS of Silves considers that “it is important, because there are more intensive patrols, but the effectives are few and this has not deterred the practice of theft of agricultural products, not only carob, but also citrus fruits and avocados”.
Whale that washed up in Albufeira ran aground again in Armação
The whale that washed ashore in Albufeira on Sunday and was later returned to the sea by the force of the tide ran aground again today on a beach in Armação de Pêra and was removed from the site, said the captain of the port of Portimão.
The dead cetacean had run aground, around 18:30 on Sunday, on Salgados beach, in Albufeira, but the authorities were unable to arrive in time to prevent the animal from being dragged into the sea again, with the body stranded again today on Praia Grande nascente, in Armação de Pêra, in the municipality of Silves, added the same source.
The captain of the Port of Portimão said that the animal was detected today by “agents of the Maritime Police picket” and “the municipal services [of Silves] were alerted and proceeded to remove the whale at 1:00 pm”. “The entity responsible for the dead dumps was also informed and goes to the landfill to carry out the investigations”, added Rodrigo González dos Paços, referring to work that is usually carried out by elements of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) to determine the which caused the animal to die.
The whale had washed ashore at around 6:30 pm on Sunday and teams from the Maritime Police, the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Albufeira and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) were awaited to carry out analyzes and removal procedures began, but the device “did not arrive in time to prevent it from being swept out to sea by the tide”, justified the captain of the port of Portimão, which has jurisdiction in Albufeira and Silves, at the time.
The same source clarified that the animal’s movement would be monitored, with the expectation that it could “be dragged back to land and then removed”, which ended up happening this morning, with the authorities being able to remove the body. to an area out of tidal range and then to an embankment area.
Elderly people walked more than 36 thousand kilometres inside the municipality
To end this report l am delighted to bring a good news story of how the elderly of one town in the Algarve are keeping healthy and fit.
In just one year, through the “Volta ao Monte” project, the elderly in the municipality of Castro Marim travelled more than 36 thousand kilometres to alleviate physical and mental inactivity and social isolation, announced Odiana .
Altogether, more than 50 million steps were taken by 41 elderly people with an average age of 74 years, who walked an average of 2.5 kilometres per day in three locations and along nine different routes.
After a year of the project, the participants were assessed by their the general state of health and quality of life, with the University of Algarve carrying out tests to measure body composition, assessment of muscle strength and cognitive and mental status among the participants during the period June 28th and 30th.
The aim of the assessment was to “carry out a first analysis of the impact of the activity ‘walks’ on the welfare of the beneficiaries, and the results will be released at the end of the project”.
“Volta ao Monte” recently won second place in the “2022 Algarve Active Ageing Good Practices Award” and continues to promote, until the end of the year, several regular walks in the interior of the Castro Marim municipality, namely in the localities of Alta Mora, Furnazinhas and Azinhal.
Have a good week and stay cool.
“The birthing block reopened today at 08:00 and is operating normally, without constraints,” the chairman of the board of directors of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) told the Lusa agency.
Whilst the Minister of the Environment spoke of the nation having to get used to using less water at a conference in Lisbon, the focus of using treated water for irrigation in the Algarve was raised by a specialist at the University of the Algarve.
The Algarve has a total of 105,142 immigrants living across the region. The largest number are in Loule, 18,707 followed by Albufeira, 16,433. Next is Portimao, 12,014 and then Lagos, 11,651.
The president of CCDR/Algarve, José Apolinário, considered earlier this week that the requalification and electrification of the Algarve Railway Line (in progress) and the implementation of the Intercidades Vila Real de Santo António – Tavira – Olhão – Faro to Lisbon in 2024 are two of the main priorities of the Algarve 2030 Strategy.
After this Tuesday’s contacts with the Minister of Internal Administration, President Isilda Gomes was immediately assured that the PSP Intervention Corps will remain in Praia da Rocha, a fact that the municipality welcomes.
According to the mayor of Olhão, the current price of fuel “leads families to realise that public transport is perhaps the only way to relieve the family budget in terms of mobility”.
Portugal recorded, between the same period, 114,410 infections with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, 256 deaths associated with covid-19 and a decrease in hospitalizations in wards and intensive care.
The Sardinha Festival, promoted by the municipality of Portimão since 1985, leads the list of the 25 best summer gastronomic events in Europe, prepared by the renowned travel site ‘Big 7 Travel’ and now released, taking into account the public’s suggestions, as well as as well as the contributions of the editorial team itself.
The rescue was carried out by elements of the “SeaWatch” project, which belongs to the National Maritime Authority, following a request for assistance.