Even the worst mathematician will be questioning the sense of channelling €17 million into the demolition of 808 coastal homes – almost all of which are shanty-built rudimentary dwellings.
But this is what the government has announced it will be spending on “recovering natural spaces” along Ria Formosa in the Algarve’s Sotavento (east).
The work, which will take at least a year to be completed, began yesterday with 23 homes on the little island of Ramalhete being levelled to the ground.
According to Expresso, householders had already cleared the properties – a number actually having removed their former pre-fabricated properties altogether.
Thus earthmovers found a landscape of semi-devastation that simply required flattening.
Using baffling logic as the JCBs moved in, environment minister Jorge Moreira commemorated the action, saying: “We don’t want to see a repeat of the scenario of destruction by the sea experienced in Fuseta in 2010 and other places.”
Expresso adds that a further 190 homes on Ramalhete and the ‘barrier’ islands of Deserta, Cobra, Ratas, Coco and Altura will be levelled this year at least, with the remaining 6oo or so being destroyed on other islands over 2015.
In all, 110 families will need rehousing, Moreira told reporters, guaranteeing that the authorities were “taking great care with questions of social support and that no habitation would be demolished without the people being rehoused”.
Stressing the need for the razing the homes to the ground, Moreira said “Portugal’s coastline is very vulnerable to erosion”.
The demolitions themselves will cost €9.7 million, he said, with a further €7.5 million going on “recuperation and re-naturalisation” of the spaces.
The money – or “investment” as Moreira called it – is being funded by the European Community.
Still, it leaves people scratching their heads over the sense in destroying a comparative handful of old dwellings for so many millions that could possibly be spent elsewhere.
Comment: Natasha Donn
