Aljezur council has guaranteed that Odeceixe’s picture-perfect beach “has not been destroyed” by the strong waves that swallowed most of its sand on Tuesday (October 28).
“This is normal,” deputy mayor José Gonçalves told Público newspaper after visiting the beach, denying fears expressed on social media that the beach had suffered “irreparable damage”.
“I’ve known this beach for 52 years and have seen many of its transformations. The beach has come and gone before,” António Filipe, a retired chemical engineer, also told the newspaper.
But not everyone is so sure. David Rosa, owner of a local surfing school, blamed the sea’s encroachment on the work of reviled environmental agency Polis Litoral, which in June removed some of the beach’s sand to replenish other parts of the Seixe River.
“They took away the sand despite our warnings,” he told Correio da Manhã.
Sebastião Teixeira – known by many as ‘demolition man’ for his seemingly unwavering focus on tearing down islanders’ homes in Ria Formosa – has defended the work and reiterated that what happened is “normal, although uncommon”.
He explained that the beach was swallowed due to a combination of “big waves and strong tides”.
While Público writes that beach-goers were already back on the beach yesterday, Teixeira has admitted that the beach’s shore has shrunk by a metre.
The Resident contacted Aljezur council and Polis Litoral for more information on renovation work planned for the beach, but at time of writing had not yet received an answer.
Photo: DAVID ROSA/FACEBOOK
