By PAULO SILVESTRE [email protected]
The president of Carvoeiro parish council (Junta de Freguesia), Jorge Pardal, has hit out at the number of rocks lying on Carvoeiro beach, which, he says, are causing discontent among beach goers and are the result of recent redevelopment works.
The Junta claims that it has been trying to get the Algarve water authority (ARH) to resolve the problem since February.
It says the rocks are dangerous and has called on the ARH to remove them.
Jorge Pardal told the Algarve Resident this week: “In spring 2009, the ARH carried out work on the beach to construct new shower facilities, which involved the demolition of some rocks.
“The resultant debris was placed near other rubble from a previous natural rock fall in 1989.”
He added: “With the recent harsh winter, the rocks spread across the beach and the navigation corridor is now obstructed, so no boat can enter or leave the beach.”
Jorge Pardal said that to date the ARH had not responded to his requests for action.
“Apart from the navigation problems, several beach goers have made complaints because of injuries and sprains caused by the rocks,” he said.
Natural occurrence
As Carvoeiro beach was awarded a Blue Flag and an Accessible Beach Flag, Jorge Pardal describes this as “a sad situation”.
The Algarve Resident contacted the ARH vice president Paulo Cruz, who confirmed that the authority was aware of the situation at Carvoeiro beach and that they had already sent a technician to carry out checks.
“The situation was assessed and what happened at the beach was a natural event caused by the tides and winds of last winter. These constraints have reduced the amount of sand on the beach.
“The sea would usually place the sand back but due to the storms this winter, this natural process did not happen this time.”
Paulo Cruz also said that the rocks are part of the seabed, adding that “any action on the
site would not result in major changes”.
“The ARH has no intention of doing any kind of intervention on Carvoeiro beach. However, we will monitor the situation.”
According to Paulo Cruz, most of the rocks are covered with algae and are part of the beach, having no relation to the debris that resulted from the natural rock fall in 1989 and the construction of the new shower facilities.
Do you have a view on this story? Please email Editor Inês Lopes at [email protected]
1″>news
