Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 3rd April 2024
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all. We at Safe Communities hope you all enjoyed a safe Easter. Whilst we did not see the usual warm sunshine across the country, many areas of the Algarve were fortunate enough to see some sunshine. This was mixed with some very heavy rain in many areas of the south, something that was needed to alleviate the drought issues we are still facing. There is a certain amount of irony in the news today which tells us that the Alqueva Dam which is situated in the largest man made lake in Europe and is in the Alentejo is now just a few centimetres away from being full. Unfortunately this particular lake does not serve the Algarve so we will not benefit from this plethora of water!
The latest news on the state of the reservoirs that serve the Algarve is better than it was but still very dire unless we see some further sustained rainfall over the coming weeks.
Amount of Water in the western Algarve river basin rises to 20.8%
In March, there was an increase in the volume stored in nine river basins and a decrease in three. Despite the increase seen in the last month, the amount of water retained in the windward basin was far from average. According to data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH) available this Tuesday, in March, there was an increase in the volume stored in nine river basins and a decrease in three.
Despite the increase seen in the last month, the amount of water retained in the windward basin was far from the average, which is 74.1%. In February this basin was at 12.5% of its capacity and in January it was at 9.4%.
At the end of February, the entire Algarve region was in a situation of weak meteorological drought. March 2024 storages by river basin are higher than the storage averages for the same month (reference period 1990/91 to 2022/23), with the exception of the Ave (69.9%), Mira (40 .3%), Ribeiras do Algarve (Barlavento 20.8%) and Arade (40.9%).
On the last day of March, the Tagus, Cávado and Guadiana basins were those with the highest volume of water, with 95.4%, 93.8% and 91.4%, respectively.
According to the SNIRH, of the 60 monitored reservoirs, 38 had water availability greater than 80% of the total volume at the end of March and four had water availability less than 40%.
Each river basin may correspond to more than one reservoir. Last week’s rain brought almost as much water to the Algarve as was expected for the entire year. The Portuguese Environment Agency is still calculating the values, but everything indicates that the Algarve’s dams have risen from 36 to 43% of capacity. The March rain brought as much water to the Bravura dam as it had left at the historic minimum recorded in October last year.
2.5 million cubic metres raised reserves to 20% of the reservoir’s capacity, a level they have not been at since 2021.
A source from the Portuguese Environment Agency says, however, that it is too early to put an end to the hydrological drought, everything will depend on what the rest of April and eventually May brings.
A meeting of the drought monitoring committee is scheduled for next week, in Faro. Some of the consumption restriction measures may be reevaluated. We will make sure we publish what is said at this meeting.
And now a look at some of the other stories that have been happening across the Algarve.
Woman dies in Road Accident near Portimao Bridge
A collision between two light vehicles and a heavy goods vehicle on Estrada Nacional (EN) 125, next to the new bridge in Portimão, resulted in a fatality this Tuesday morning, said a Civil Protection source.
The accident took place at the Companheira site, close to the new bridge over the Arade river, causing the death of a 58-year-old woman, said the source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command.
According to the same source, the accident also caused minor injuries to two men, one aged 55 and the other aged 75. The alert was given at 9:01 am and 21 operatives and nine emergency forces vehicles rushed to the scene.
PJ Arrests Man in Albufeira for Attempted Murder
The Judiciary Police (PJ) detained a 23-year-old man due to “strong indications” of the crime of attempted murder in Albufeira, with the suspect being held in preventive detention, the entity announced this Saturday.
In a statement, the PJ said that “it arrested a 23-year-old man, due to strong evidence of the crime of qualified homicide in the attempted form that occurred in Albufeira”, in the Algarve.
“The investigation, led by the southern directorate, found that in the early hours of this Friday, following an argument, apparently for futile reasons, the now detained man allegedly attacked a person using a firearm, and then came to flee”, continues the PJ in the same informative note. The victim “suffered such injuries that he had to be taken to the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, where he remains, ” says the same source.
“At the first judicial interrogation, the suspect was placed in preventive detention”, the information note also states.
19-year-old Man wanted by French authorities detained by PJ
The PJ detained a 19-year-old young man in the Algarve who was wanted by the French authorities about a year ago after he injured three people, one of them seriously, at a train station in France, the police said this Saturday.
In a statement, the Judicial Police states that the PJ’s Criminal Information Unit detained, in Loulé , a 19-year-old foreign citizen, under whom a European Arrest Warrant (MDE) was pending, issued by the French judicial authorities, for the crime of using a bladed weapon with intent to injure.
According to the PJ, the young man, who has lived in Portugal since he was 11 months old, is accused of, in the context of a fight, which occurred at a train station in France around a year ago, injuring three people, one of them seriously. The PJ explains that, at the time, the suspect was not intercepted by the Police, which is why the EAW was issued and, due to these facts, he could be sentenced to a sentence of five years in prison.
That police adds that the young man was presented to the Court of Appeal of Évora, which determined that he should wait for the terms of the extradition process, being subject to the measure of coercion of weekly appearances at the police station in the area of residence and prohibition of being absent from limits of the Algarve district, without prior authorization from the Court.
Man detained by PJ for committing 15 crimes of sexual abuse of children in Portimão
This week, the Judiciary Police (PJ) detained a Portuguese citizen in the Portimão area, on whom a European arrest warrant was pending, issued by the Luxembourg authorities, for committing 15 crimes of sexual abuse of children and offenses against physical integrity. .
According to the PJ, “after carrying out research and analysing criminal information, complemented by operational measures, the Criminal Information Unit arrived at the location of the man, who was detained in the Portimão area”.
The 79-year-old man is sentenced to a sentence of 20 years in prison, for committing crimes that occurred within the family, between 2007 and 2008. The victims were his own daughters, having committed them using physical violence . Present at the Court of Appeal of Évora, it was determined that he would remain in preventive detention for the extradition process.
Man Arrested on Suspicion of belonging to highly organised Drug Trafficking Gang
The Judicial Police (PJ), through the Criminal Information Unit, located and detained, in the Algarve, a foreign citizen, in compliance with an international arrest warrant, issued by the Brazilian judicial authorities, after research and development of operational measures for several days , the PJ announced today.
The 32-year-old man is suspected of belonging to a highly organised criminal group involved in international drug trafficking.
“As part of the international cocaine trafficking network of which he was part, the detainee was responsible for all the logistics associated with preparing the cocaine couriers’ journey from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Europe. For these facts he could be sentenced to 15 years in prison,” the PJ said in a statement.
The suspect was presented to the Évora Court of Appeal , which ordered him to await the terms of the extradition process in preventive detention.
Two Arrested For Attempted Murder in Faro
The Southern Directorate of the Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested, this Wednesday, March 27th, two men, aged 18 and 23, due to strong evidence of the crime of attempted homicide, which occurred in the municipality of Faro .
The victim, a 44-year-old man, was seriously attacked, using a sharp weapon, and was, at the time, assisted by emergency services and subsequently taken to the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve.
The origin of the aggression was the refusal of the victim, owner of a commercial establishment, to serve one of the attackers after closing time. One of the suspects was located by the GNR, 24 hours after the attack, and was arrested outside of the act by the PJ, after collecting evidence.
Following the investigative steps, the other participant in the attacks was arrested outside of the act, verifying the existence of family ties between both detainees.
Present before the judicial authority, the most serious measure of coercion was applied to them, preventive detention.
Woman Dies after Falling Into a Well in Santa Rita
Yesterday 27th March was marked by the death of a 70-year-old woman, after a well fell in Santa Rita, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António .
Emergency services rescued the victim, who was already lifeless, and the circumstances of the fall were not revealed by the authorities.
There were 21 operatives on site, from VMER de Faro, SIV Tavira, Firefighters from Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim and members of the GNR from Vila Real de Santo António, assisted by 9 vehicles.
Results of Operation Easter Campaign released.
To end this report we look at the results of the Operation Easter road safety campaign which we wrote about last week. According to the GNR, 2 people died and 10 were seriously injured in the 827 accidents recorded by the GNR during their ‘Operation Easter 2024’ road safety campaign, which started last Thursday and ended on the 1st April.
Of the 22,263 drivers monitored during the operation, 303 were driving with excess alcohol and 165 were arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level greater than 1.2 g/l.
The statement released by the GNR also says that 56 people were arrested for driving without a legal licence.
Between 00:00 on Thursday and 23:59 on Sunday, 240 minor injuries were also recorded on the roads. In total during the operation, the GNR detected 2,913 road traffic violations, 642 for speeding, 455 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 153 for lack of mandatory civil liability insurance and 76 for anomalies in lighting and signalling systems. 69 drivers were also detected using their cell phone incorrectly while driving and 85 cases of missing or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child seats. These figures are from the nationwide campaign and not just the Algarve.
Have a good week and stay safe.
This season is characterised by the reunion of families in their regions of origin and, as it corresponds to the school holiday period, a significant increase in road traffic on Portuguese roads is expected. In this sense, the Guard, through the military from the Territorial Commands and Traffic Detachments, will have the “Easter 2024” operation underway, which aims to ensure the safety and protection of people, which goes beyond road inspection and the effort is also aimed at festivities, their surroundings, residential and commercial areas, as well as the most critical road traffic routes. The inspection period for the greatest road patrol effort, on the most critical roads, will be between the beginning of March 28th and April 1st, a period when the highest volume of traffic is expected.
“We are going to build the first large desalination plant in the Algarve area, in Albufeira , and it is so important for the region”, highlighted José Pimenta Machado.
In a desperate bid to scare off the attacker, Alison told him that her watch had alerted police, which led the man to flee while also stealing her watch. The Malaysian-born runner believes that the attack may have been “premeditated” as she spotted a piece of tarpaulin and a water bottle nearby. Alison was quick to praise the GNR.“The GNR were absolutely ace though, could not have faulted them. They were so quick and there were about 4-5 cars and vans and a cute dog to find the culprit. He’s still out and about so…,” wrote the athlete, who holds the record solo time for a 300km route called the Smog Graham Round which features the highest points in all 32 boroughs of London.
Another initiative recently launched by the Algarve Tourism sector is a scheme to offer accommodation suppliers a “Save Water” certificate. The objective is to promote water savings in hotels and in the tourism sector in general, offering, in return, a seal that recognizes the effort and contribution of companies to the regional goal of reducing water consumption in the region by 15%. urban sector.
According to the most recent weekly report on the operation of the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR, last week 47 people were arrested, 13 for driving without a legal licence, 12 for driving under the influence of alcohol and two for drug trafficking.
According to the PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command, the fraudster’s modus operandi consists of copying vehicle sale advertisements, deceiving both the real seller and potential buyers. The criminal selects ads on popular platforms such as OLX, Facebook and Standvirtual and contacts advertisers, trying to obtain as much information about the vehicle in question.
Whatever happens in the near future we cannot but feel there will be another election sooner rather than later as the parliament is in a “hung” situation and the likelihood of the government of the day passing any important legislature seems to be unlikely.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested, this Tuesday, in Portimão , a 25-year-old man in flagrante delicto, for the alleged authorship of several crimes of pornography of minors.
Hence, the prestigious “Wine Tourism 2023” trophy validates and enhances the excellence of this route and its products, creating the ideal pairing for a trip to the Algarve that encompasses food, entertainment, history, and sampling the finest Algarve wines. The gala event saw a total of 20 trophies being awarded, with the backing and sponsorship of various official entities and organisations.
The four new defibrillators are installed in public spaces: near the José Belchior Viegas secondary school; near the Poeta Bernardo de Passos school and the local sports and leisure; near the municipal market; and also in the historic centre, near town hall, the municipal library and other key buildings. Says the local council, these units are operational and await licensing by the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM). The municipality invested €7,500 (plus VAT) in the rental of these units from Blue Ocean Medical, Lda., and has also invested in the purchase of another defibrillator for the local scouts group, having trained some of its members to use it if necessary during their activities or at events held in the municipality.