Whoever, this summer, goes to Praia do Malhão, will no longer have to jump in the car, along the bumpy dirt road outside, nor will have to park the God will, in the middle of the vegetation and praying that the car does not get buried in the sand.
Praia do Malhão, on the coast of the Lower Alentejo municipality of Odemira, was the target of an intervention by the Polis Litoral Sudoeste, worth a little over 2 million euros.
The work includes, precisely, the construction of a car park for more than 600 vehicles, properly organized, with access for cars, as well as for people, creating a network of wooden walkways that allow everyone to walk along this section of coast. There are even those who predict that the walkways of Malhão will become “the place for family walks throughout the year”.
“Natural engineering” works were also carried out, using natural materials, such as stone and wood, to retain the water and prevent the rains from continuing to dig out ravines in the sandstone cliffs next to the beach. In some of the places, it was a matter of “mitigating the damage that already exists”.
Praia do Malhão, one of the most emblematic beaches on the coast of Odemira, was the starting point for a full day visit to the main works of Sociedade Polis in the county, promoted by the City Council, and open to local authorities, ICNF and Polis , technicians from these entities and journalists.
In the municipality of Odemira, 80 percent of the works planned by Sociedade Polis, an entity that integrates this municipality, have been completed so far, as well as those in Sines, Aljezur and Vila do Bispo, that is, all those covered by the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina.
José Alberto Guerreiro: “I understand the criticisms that arose, saying that it was not necessary to do anything in Malhão. But the truth is that it was absolutely necessary!”
With the recent decision to extend the Life of Polis for another year, some of the works that remained to be done may still advance, while others will be completed.
Sitting for the first time on one of the wooden benches installed on the walkways and observation platforms, José Alberto Guerreiro, mayor of Odemira, made a point of remembering that «this is a dream of many years, which was nothing more than paper » and that «until now it had never been able to happen».
The mayor, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of Sociedade Polis Litoral SW, is aware that the intervention made does not please the greeks and trojans: “I understand the criticisms that arose, saying that it was not necessary to do anything in Malhão. But the truth is that it was absolutely necessary!”, he defends.
«Malhão was one of the most popular beaches in our county, it had the blue flag for some years, with excellent water and sand quality, but it leaves this intervention reinforced, because, from now on, it is accessible to everyone and before it was only for some. This is also an obligation of public entities: to make what belongs to everyone available to everyone», said José Alberto Guerreiro, in statements to journalists.
On the ground, accompanied by a Polis technician and by João Alves, also a member of the Board of Directors (representing ICNF), it was possible to see that, despite all the investment, there were still some adjustments to be made. How to create an access for the City Council's beach cleaning machine and for garbage collection or solve the dangerous slope of the final ramp.
Outside the intervention of the Polis, the road to the beach is reorganized. But the mayor announced that "the improvement of access to Praia do Malhão is foreseen in the 2016 plan and budget". The road will not be widened or paved, but will have «conditions to be passable and safe», in an investment of 160 thousand euros, which includes «strengthening the slope, creating ditches, building a platform in all comers, accessible to all vehicles'.
José Alberto Guerreiro has no doubts that “the Polis was worth it”. The municipality of Odemira is the one that took the most advantage of these interventions. Altogether, said the mayor from Odemir, "there are more than 10 million euros, through direct and indirect actions, which were invested here in this 55 kilometers of coast, an amount that, otherwise, would hardly have been invested".
“These 55 kilometers of coastline of ours had never had the opportunity to have an investment plan of this size”, so this is “a defining moment for Odemira”, he emphasizes.
José Alberto Guerreiro stresses that he is not even “talking about the urban interventions of Zambujeira do Mar or Vila Nova de Milfontes, which are important, but would happen in one way or another, although certainly later on”.
Much more striking are the interventions in Praia do Malhão, Cabo Sardão or the fishing ports (Lapa das Pombas, Entrada da Barca and Azenha do Mar), which he considered "points of great economic energy", although in some cases ( as in Lapa das Pombas), only there are half a dozen fishermen still active there.
João Alves: «there are four Coastal Polis in the country, but this was the one that was born from the bottom up, the mayors demanded it and that is an advantage and a difference»
The mayor of Odemira, in a balance, also made a point of stressing that “the Polis is a junction of wills and, in this respect, it was amply demonstrated that the entities, when they sit at the same table, discuss the problems, they can not always agree, but they manage to smooth some edges».
Hair same tuning fork, later, João Alves. As ICNF's representative in the Company's Administration, this responsible, in statements to journalists, recalled that “there are four Coastal Polis in the country, but this was the one that was born from the bottom up, the mayors demanded it and that is an advantage and a difference'.
João Alves added that the completion of the works was carried out during "a critical time for the country", with much less money to invest, "and despite everything, what was most significant could be done". "This territory is now better equipped so that populations, businesses and tourists can enjoy it," he guaranteed.
José Alberto Guerreiro also considers that the Natural Park and the Natura Network, which prevail in the municipality of Odemira throughout its coastline, are "highly valued after this intervention".
“Here and there, we didn't please everyone. But these interventions discipline, guide, create rules. Anyone who likes messy things will certainly feel cheated now», commented the mayor.
The day of visits also included Praia das Furnas (800.863 euros in investment), Almograve (534.378 euros), the small port of Lapa das Pombas (683.153 euros, in the three small ports), Zambujeira do Mar (1,6 million), by Alteirinhos (800.864 euros) and by Cabo Sardão (almost 1,1 million euros).
With regard to Zambujeira do Mar, which for now is half disemboweled, with works in progress, José Alberto Guerreiro said that the intervention will be completed, in this first phase, by the end of April.
As for the second phase, which includes the entire oldest nucleus at the entrance to Zambujeira and costs more than 2 million euros, despite having been designed within the scope of Polis, it ended up being left out. The mayor revealed that the work will now be «candidated for the PEDU – Strategic Urban Development Plans – in the new community framework, within the scope of Alentejo 2020», being an intervention to be developed «in 2016 and 2017».
Vila Nova de Milfontes was not part of the visit, which was on the other side of the river, at Praia das Furnas, but even so, there was no less mention of the works that benefit this important coastal location.
José Alberto Guerreiro: Odemira was the municipality that «invested the most, devoted the most particular effort to this intervention, and which, in the set of what was initially planned, managed to achieve the most»
In Milfontes, the two phases of the intervention have already started, which will take place simultaneously and which, in total, between projects and works, exceeds 2 million euros in investment. But an intervention of around 800 thousand euros remains to be concluded, which was also applied for the PEDU.
The two initial phases, which include works on the riverside, between the pier and the breakwater, and also on the upper area up to the primary school, according to the mayor of Odemira, should be completed "by summer", everything depending “on the weather conditions, on the capacity of the contractors, on the surprises that might be underground”.
But Vila Nova de Milfontes is also benefiting from other works, starting with those that were carried out at Praia das Furnas.
However, the intervention with the greatest strength and impact in the village is the removal of the silt of the river Mira and the placement of the dredged sands at Praia da Franquia, which is reduced to a strand of sand.
After public discussion, the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) was issued last year, now missing the RECAPE – Environmental Compliance Report of the Execution Project, essential for the works to begin.
During the visit of the delegation to Praia das Furnas, on the other side of the Barra do Mira, it was explained that the sand removed from the estuary will be placed on Praia da Franquia and perhaps also on Praia do Carreiro da Fazenda, north of Milfontes. João Alves also said that the project foresees the creation of a bridge connecting with this beach.
De-silting, considered by Mayor José Alberto Guerreiro as «fundamental to guarantee the navigability of the Barra do Mira» and to «strengthen the dune cord of Praia da Franquia, very important for Vila Nova de Milfontes», will only be carried out in the terminal part of the river , so as not to affect the marine grasslands existing in the estuary, nor the stability of the pillars of the EN120 bridge, further upstream.
The silting ran the risk of remaining only for the study phase. But with the extension of the Life of Sociedade Polis Litoral Sudoeste for another year, this entity will also launch the work.
For the future, with or without Polis Society, there are the projects already under way for the Ecovia and the Litoral Cycle, which will link Sines to border of the municipality of Vila do Bispo with Lagos.
The Chamber of Odemira applied for the Alentejo 2020, about two months ago, 12 million euros of various investments, including the "complete implementation" of the Ecovia and Ciclovia, which José Alberto Guerreiro does not want to leave behind just for the projects . «That is known to us a little while ago, we would like to make it happen».
Of the four municipalities that make up the Polis Litoral SW Society, the one that «invested the most, devoted the most particular effort to this intervention, and which, in the set of what was initially planned, the most achieved, is Odemira», guarantees your aedile.
José Alberto Guerreiro: «with everything on the ground, we can feel satisfied»
"Why? Because it is also the municipality that bet with a lot of capital in this society. We have built up around 3,5 million euros of share capital and, if the remaining actions are carried out, we will be able to reach 5 million euros," he added.
«This in a set of investments that amount to more than 10 million euros and that could reach 16 million, if the Eco and the Ciclovia are implemented, as well as the removal of silt of the Mira».
Therefore, underlines the mayor, «with everything that is on the ground, we can feel satisfied, because there was a set of wills that surpassed difficulties and barriers, and arrived here with the firm determination to make this a coastline of excellence ».
But don't think that the work ends here. «All this brings us more responsibilities, from here on, we must manage, we must maintain», concludes José Alberto Guerreiro.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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