Five injured in accident on Portimão bridge
Yesterday evening, an accident involving two cars on the 'new' bridge, which connects Portimão and Lagoa, caused five injuries.
The collision occurred at 7:15 pm, with 10 emergency crew from the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters and the National Republican Guard (GNR) dispatched to the scene, to help those injured.
Traffic in the Lagoa/Portimão direction was interrupted for some time, while assistance was provided to those involved in the accident.
A 45 year old woman was taken to Portimão Hospital, but the remaining 4 subsequently refused to be taken, due to their injuries being considered minor.
Public consultation open for the development plans for Albandeira, on the Lagoa coast
The municipality of Lagoa has recently opened a period of public consultation, unitl August 12th, for the proposed Detailed Plans of the Albandeira ATE A1 and ATE A2 projects, which form part of the UP 12 Urbanization Plan for the area.
These plans outline the construction of a large urban development comprising a mixture of hotels, aparthotels and villas offering 1,030 beds in the picturesque landscape of the as-of-yet unspoilt Praia de Albandeira area, in Caramujeira. This area is characterised by a countryside-meets-sea setting, with small cove beaches and caves flanked by stunning natural landscapes.
The detailed plans for the urbanization proposed in the ATE A1 area (just south of Caramujeira, at the foot of the blue ruin locally known as ‘Monte Azul’) can be consulted HERE.
Similarly, the detailed plans for the 5-storey hotel (3 above ground and 2 below ground) proposed for the ATE A2 area (mostly north of Estrada de Albandeira, between Albandeira and Barranco) can be consulted HERE.
Please note that to participate, applicants must fill out the 'Participacao Publica' (Public Participation) form available in the PLANEAMENTO menu option, through the Camara's page for Online Services, https://servicosonline.cm-lagoa.pt/ (the use of which requires prior registration, a request which takes approx. 2 days to be approved) OR, can participate in person at the “Balcão Único” (Helpdesk) services of at the Camara de Lagoa headquarters, open weekdays 9am - 4.30pm.
The municipality is calling for public participation until the 12th August 2024, with a view to then formalise the acceptance of the development plans proposed by the project promoters. A deadline of 9 months has been established for completion of the approval procedure, although it may possibly be concluded by the end of the current year. The present elaboration of the detailed plans includes adjustments made to the strategy and objectives defined in the UP 12 urbanisation plan approved in 2008.
Anyone who wishes to participate can consult the terms of reference, planning contract and Strategic Environmental Assessment Reports available on the Lagoa City Council website - www.cm-lagoa.pt > Noticias -> Avisos ATE A1 and ATE A2), and at the Balcão Único of the Câmara Municipal de Lagoa.
To obtain more information and voice your opinion, you can log your participation in person at the Balcão Único at the Municipal Town Hall.
Written by Len Port.
More funding needed for the Algarve Desalination Plant project
The Environment Minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, has criticised the previous PS Government for the failure to "take into account" the cost of the Algarve desalination plant project.
Speaking to journalists after a visit to Garrão beach, in Loulé yesterday, she said that the lack of funds to finance the construction of the future desalination plant for the Algarve, compared to the support provided for in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), is a “very Portuguese saga”.
“It has now emerged that more funding is needed after all. This is a very Portuguese saga, but one that I do not like, and I very much regret that those who authorised the desalination plant to have a greater capacity did not ensure in the RRP the necessary funding to cover all that capacity,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, referring to the previous PS Government.
At the meeting, the minister announced investments to protect the coast and stressed that it would have been easier to have secured all the financing at the beginning, with the amount coming from the PRR being 56 million euros and the total value of the work exceeding 100 million euros.
“Now we are here to solve the problem. Together with the Minister for Cohesion, we will analyse the situation and find a solution”, she said, adding that there are currently two candidates for the international tender for the construction of the desalination plant, which will be located in Albufeira.
The president of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), António Miguel Pina, suggested that the missing portion could come “either from the State Budget or from the allocation of funds from the PRR” and that the Government could use funds from other projects “that will not be able to be executed within the deadline”.
The desalination plant will have an initial capacity of 16 cubic hectometres to convert seawater into drinking water, and will be financed under the PRR with an investment of around 50 million Euros.
In a public session, the president of AMAL also expressed concerns about the possibility of Águas do Algarve, the promoter of the project, passing on the cost of the desalination plant directly to consumers via their bills, if it had to advance with its own funds.
During her visit to the Algarve, Maria da Graça Carvalho also said that at the end of August the Government will reassess the drought situation in the region, hoping that “very drastic” changes will not be necessary.
The Environment Minister stressed that the current situation is “considerably better” than that recorded in 2023 - which was a “difficult year” - due to the rain that fell this winter, stressing that another good indicator is the water savings that have been recorded: 12% in June and 9% from January to June this year.
Body discovered floating in the Arade River is thought to be missing paddleboarder
A male body discovered floating in the Arade River is thought to be the paddleboarder who went missing last Thursday evening, off the Port of Portimão.
The body of a man was discovered yesterday afternoon in the Arade River, next to the Portimão Marina. The National Maritime Authority (AMN) says that “everything indicates that it is the body of the 29 year old man who had been missing since August 1st”.
In a statement released by the National Maritime Authority, it was apparently a member of the public who, at 6:25 pm yesterday, raised the alarm about the existence of “a body floating near Docapesca”. Crew members of the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station and members of the local Command of the Portimão Maritime Police were mobilised to the site, as well as members of the Lagoa Volunteer Firefighters and a team from the Judicial Police.
Upon arrival at the scene, the crew of the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station “collected and transported the body to Docapesca, from where it was later transported by firefighters to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Portimão, after the Public Prosecutor's Office had been contacted and the Judicial Police had carried out the necessary investigations”.
The Maritime Police Psychology Office continues to provide support to the victim's family.
The 29 year old man disappeared in the river after getting into difficulties while stand-up paddle boarding with his friend, who was wearing a life jacket. His friend managed to return to land on his own and raise the alarm.
The Algarve’s water crisis worsens
Reservoir levels in the Algarve have fallen again, coinciding with global temperatures approaching record highs. The amount of water stored in all the Algarve’s river basins fell in June and again in July.
The Barlavento basin in the western Algarve is the worst affected, with a level now below 20%. The Arade in the central Algarve fell from 40.8% in June to 37.8% last month.
The situation is much better in the east of the region. The Guadiana basin is 83.35% full, and the Mondego reservoir has a level of 85.5%.
Official meteorological statistics show that at the end of June the south of Portugal was suffering extreme drought, while the intensity was more moderate in the cities of Beja and Evora in the Alentejo, as well as part of the districts of Setubal, south of Lisbon.
Current temperatures in the Algarve are fairly mild compared to other Portuguese places in the past. Portugal's highest recorded temperature is just above 47.4 degrees Celsius (117.32 Fahrenheit). Normal summer temperatures in the Algarve stay in the mid-30s °C, but sometimes soar towards 40 °C (104 °F).
On Sunday, July 21, the world experienced its hottest day on record. Just 24 hours later that record was broken, marking the hottest recorded in thousands of years.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has been able to accurately reveal this as they have developed a scientific technique for assessing historical temperatures. The technique can be used in a variety of helpful ways, including suggesting the best spots to place wind farms and letting homeowners know how much their solar panels might generate.
Severe heat waves cause hundreds, if not thousands of deaths across Europe, the United States, and Asia. The United States Embassy in Lisbon has issued a warning to American summer visitors to Portugal to be careful of the possible consequences of being outdoors in the local heat.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. It is rising roughly twice the global average, according to official data. The hottest places on the planet just now are in parts of countries including Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Pakistan. The biggest problem of all is the failure of humans to properly control climate change.
While the Algarve is at the peak of its wildfire season, all units of fire brigades, police forces, and various volunteer groups are on constant standby to deal with any outbreaks. So far, such outbreaks have been most severe in Alberta, Canada, and parts of California. There are currently about 100 large wildfires raging in California. One of them is the worst in Californian history.
The existential threat of global warming does not seem to be nearly as important to many world leaders nowadays as spiralling knife and gun violence, and international wars.
However, Bloomberg Green has just come up with some good news: “Last year, the world invested $1.8 trillion in climate tech. Much of that went toward renewable energy and electrifying transport, climate tech sectors that are relatively mature. Pioneers — a program that’s run for more than a decade — focuses on areas where innovation is most needed, ranging from reducing buildings’ carbon footprints and developing clean fuels.”
The United Nations Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres recently delivered a special address on climate action in which he warned that we have only 18 months to save the world.
Pulling back from the brink “is still just about possible”, he continued, but only if we fight harder. It all depends on decisions taken by political leaders during this decade.”
Young man dies after a fight in Albufeira
A 19 year old man has died this morning, following a dispute with another individual outside a bar in Albufeira, around 3:30 am.
According to a source from the GNR, the argument began inside a bar, "where some confusion arose" with the two individuals going out onto the public road, on Travessa Cândido dos Reis.
One of the individuals "punched the other who fell and hit his head on the ground", causing serious injuries.
The victim, a Portuguese man, was assisted on site by INEM and was transported to Faro hospital, but he died at hospital at around 7:30 am.
The GNR says there is a suspect being questioned regarding this crime.
