A 1500 meter stretch of seafront, covering the beaches of Três Castelos, Amado, Careanos and Vau, where coastal erosion has been accentuated, will receive the sand accumulated on Praia da Rocha over the last few decades.
The project, with an expected value of 2,4 million euros, was the reason for a lightning visit by the Minister of the Environment, this afternoon, to Miradouro da Praia da Rocha.
The visit was so quick that no presentation of the planned intervention was made.
Later, on Garrão beach, on the coast of Loulé, which the governor also visited this afternoon, Maria da Graça Carvalho, answering questions from the Sul Informação, added that the intervention is expected to last “seven months”.
Taking into account that under the previous Government, a public tender had been launched for this same work, which then did not come to an end, our newspaper also wanted to know if, this time, there would be complications that would hamper the process.
The Environment Minister responded that, unlike the heavier works that will take place on the coast from Quarteira to Garrão (in Loulé), in the coastal area of Portimão, due to the estimated amount (2,4 million euros), it will not be « I need to do an international competition”, so the intervention will be “faster”. However, no date was announced for the launch of the competition, nor for the anticipated start of works.
According to the Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Impact Study of the so-called «Sedimentary Migration Project for Praia do Vau», paid for by the Portimão City Council and dating back to 2022, «after the construction of the jetties at the mouth of the Arade river, Praia da Rocha has constituted the deposition zone of sand coming from the west, in the direction of coastal sedimentary transit».
In such a way that, having a «natural average width of 35 meters, Praia da Rocha currently has a width of 235 meters».
In statements to the Sul Informação, the mayor of Portimão referred precisely to this issue, saying that, currently, «at low tide, the water's edge is already halfway across the jetty, which has never happened before».
The minister herself highlighted, in her statements, that the planned intervention “benefits Praia da Rocha itself”, because it will reduce “the distance that people have to travel to the sea”.
At the end of the intervention, Praia da Rocha will be much shorter, while the other beaches will have wider sand, moving the sea away from the cliffs. In total, 220 cubic meters of sand are expected to be removed from the entire area of the beach that is currently closest to the water, especially the area next to the jetty, which is wider due to erosion over the years, as can be seen in the following image:
According to the EIA, which our newspaper consulted, «the sand deposited on Praia da Rocha has two main sources: the river source associated with the Arade river and the erosion of the cliffs in the section between Ponta João Arens and Praia da Rocha».
Now, adds the Study, «with this project the aim is to reverse the sedimentary circulation circuit, promoting sedimentary migration from the end of the circuit (the accumulation zone of Praia da Rocha) to its original location, where erosion of the cliffs causes greater risk for beach users».
This intervention must, therefore, “be understood as a coastal protection measure, as the sand to be deposited on the beaches supported by cliffs will feed the natural cell of sedimentary circulation to the west, significantly and temporarily attenuating the erosion of the cliffs on the beaches of the Careanos, Amado and Três Castelos».
In your statements to the Sul Informação, Mayor Álvaro Bila stressed that the intervention is urgent, recalling that it was Portimão City Council itself that paid for the Environmental Impact Study.
«This is essential to limit coastal erosion in that area between Três Castelos and Vau. Whenever there is a southeast sea, the waves will hit the cliffs, accentuating erosion», added the president of the municipality.
To protect the area, «whenever there is Southeast, the City Council has to place a machine permanently in that area, to support the sands and defend the cliffs».
The Mayor of Portimão also expressed his concern that nothing had been said, during Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho's visit, about the launch of the new competition for the intervention.
Another issue that worries him is the timetable for completing the work. Taking sand from Praia da Rocha to the westernmost area will require the laying of large pipes along the sand and close to the cliffs, which is why the mayor hopes that “work will not start in the summer”.
In any case, as the Environmental Impact Study stated, once completed, “the intervention is expected to have a longevity of around 4-5 years, in the absence of any additional intervention”.
The operations that the minister announced, on the coast of Portimão and Loulé, will be supported by the Sustainable 2030 Program, within the scope of valuing natural resources and promoting sustainable development.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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