LIVRE candidates for the constituency of Faro visited the village of Hanares, one of the three population centers on Culatra Island, and say they saw «the difficulties experienced daily by its inhabitants».
«Without access to drinking water or electricity, the approximately 100 inhabitants of the village of Hanares demand equal rights to those of their neighbors in Culatra and Farol", says the party.
Despite constituting one of the three centers on the island of Culatra, unlike the rest, the Hangars do not “have their existence legally recognized, meaning their inhabitants live in a kind of no man's land”, says the BOOK.
«They cannot carry out works or repairs in the houses. They do not have access to regular boat transport that connects the remaining centers to Olhão. The most banal day-to-day actions take on extreme difficulty, and urgent situations such as calling for medical help require a multiplication of contacts».
LIVRE made the visit guided by the president of the Hangares Residents Association José Lezinho, who showed how the population overcomes difficulties.
«For example, energy for homes is obtained through the installation of solar panels, a solution that limits the number of household appliances to be used. Travel to land must be done on your own boat, as the career cannot stop in the village», the note reads.
According to the party, José Lezinho stressed that, «if the intention was to lead the inhabitants to abandon the Hangars due to tiredness, the effect is the opposite».
«There is a feeling of belonging, the families have lived there for several generations, and they only ask for the houses to be legalized, as happened in the centers of Culatra and Farol. The situation depends on a decision from the Environment Department, several protests have already been made, but there is still no resolution in sight», he continues.
LIVRE, being a party that defines itself as environmentalist and supportive, raised the possibility of transforming this nucleus into a sustainable village similar to Aldeia da Culatra.
«To achieve this, a balance must be guaranteed between existing economic activities, fishing and tourism (sustainable ecotourism), the quality of life of the inhabitants and the protection of nature. A sustainable transport network must also be foreseen, which ensures the mobility of the population", he says, also mentioning that "housing is another important topic in LIVRE, which we consider to be an essential asset for a dignified life, it is therefore unquestionable to regularize of housing, thus guaranteeing the right of this population to their homes and the formalization of this nucleus as a residential cluster».
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