The area surrounding Pego do Inferno, the much-loved Tavira waterfall and pool, was burned to a cinder in the 2012 fire that swept across the eastern Algarve and consumed 21,500 hectares.
The site then was cordoned off by the council and the game of ‘pass the buck’ started in earnest.
It became clear early on the Tavira council was going to do nothing in haste to resurrect this inland beauty spot that at its height attracted thousands of locals and visitors fancying a day away from the Algarve’s crowded beaches.
To get the site up and running again, a petition was started, Youtube videos were posted, crowdfunding was suggested and worthy bodies decided as one that ‘something must be done.’
The shameful result has been a big fat 'zero' and the site has fallen into dereliction with occasional visitors braving the bush, returning in depressed mood.
Talk of ‘European funding’ always a reason for a local authority to sit on its arse, a ‘charter of principles’ a ‘sustainable project’ was all so much guff from the council while for four years those responsible for this tourist site bickered as to who was in charge and who would pay for even basic repairs.
Only now has Tavira council announced that one of the most beautiful and sought after locations in the Algarve is to be repaired and reopened. The picture above shows the site as it once was.
The wooden structures and bridge giving access to Pego do Inferno will be removed this winter and the council says its aim, unsurprisingly, is to "make Pego do Inferno a visitable park," with the proviso that it may not be able to achieve even this basic objective.
"The first step to retrieve the site to remove what is damaged and then we will have to look at the issues of what is public and private property to see if it is possible or not to make a visitable park with lifeguard, bar and suitable conditions" according to mayor Jorge Botelho, unable in the modern times to issue a press release without the word 'sustainable' in there somewhere.
After the 2012 fire, the local authority said that the ideal project for Pego do Inferno would be to create a "living museum with paid access, so that there is permanent monitoring and cleaning."
The 'paid access' bit did not go down well and will guarantee that locals who have used the site for free for decades will end up on the beach.
The excuse now given by the same mayor is that nothing has been done at Pego do Inferno because “some of the land is public and some is private” as if this was not known all along and somehow is beyond the wit of man to resolve within 48 months.
In steps the President of the Algarve Tourism Board, Desidério Silva, with some equally uninspiring comments.
Silva considers it “important and urgent to recover Pego do Inferno, according to the best and the highest safety standards," - presumably just as important and urgent as it was four years ago.
"I believe this recovery project because it will help the tourist offering in Tavira, it’s another option for those who want to be in the Algarve, close to nature in a beautiful and peaceful place," said Silva whose personal lack of effort in making sure Pego do Inferno is open for business, has been matched only by that of the local council.
See also: 'Pego do Inferno 'not worth visiting''
