Albufeira’s General Drainage Plan, originally launched in 2016, is to be revived by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), with an investment of €46 million, part of which will be used to build a €33 million tunnel designed to divert the flow of a flood-prone stream in Albufeira.
The plan was first unveiled 10 years ago in response to flooding that hit the town on 1 November 2015. According to José Pimenta Machado, president of the APA, the centrepiece of the drainage scheme will be a €33 million tunnel, more than double the €15 million estimated cost a decade ago.
The 1.5-kilometre tunnel will divert water from a stream in Albufeira, easing pressure on the town’s lower-lying areas by channelling the flow directly into the ocean.
Although the project never got off the ground over a decade ago, it is now being developed in collaboration with the local authority, led by the Portuguese Environment Agency, Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho revealed in Quarteira during a press conference.
Carvalho described the project as one of the largest of its kind in Portugal, saying it would “solve the problem of one of the areas in the region most exposed to flooding”. The total cost of €46 million will be funded through the Sustainable 2030 programme.
Several elements of the plan have already been completed, including the pumping station at Praça dos Pescadores and the western hillside stormwater collector, a drainage facility serving the Cerro Grande area. A further collector to the east is still to be built, alongside the tunnel.
During her visit to the Algarve, the Environment Minister also attended a ceremony in Faro to sign off the first €3.7 million injection of Environmental Fund payments for investment in smart water management. The projects will receive 40% of their funding from the Environmental Fund, with the remainder coming from the Algarve 2030 programme.
A total of €120 million in investment is planned by 2028, with the aim of reducing water losses in public supply networks from 20% to 15%, the minister said.
Along the Algarve coast, around €32 million has been earmarked for investment in the municipalities of Loulé, Faro, Portimão, Lagos and Albufeira.
The works will include beach replenishment, cliff rehabilitation, and the restructuring of the Quarteira breakwaters.
Source: LUSA
Photo credit: AJ Wamood / X
