The Vice-President of Santa Cruz Municipal Council, João Aragão, accompanied by the Municipal Civil Protection Coordinator, Renato Baptista, visited work being undertaken to clear vegetation and reduce combustible material from watercourses within urban areas on Tuesday.
The €81,946.58 project covers 5,677 metres across 11 watercourses in five parishes. It aims to reduce fire risks while improving drainage and rainwater flow.
During the visit, the completion of firebreaks alongside the road network at Caminho da Torre and Caminho do Lombo, in the parish of Gaula, was also highlighted.
The €81,900.72 project covered an area of 43,905.90 square metres. The work is intended to improve access for emergency vehicles and help prevent the spread of rural fires.
Both projects form part of the municipality’s strategy to prepare the area for the period of greatest fire risk, while strengthening the protection of residents, property and the natural environment.
While the municipality presents the work as an important fire-prevention measure, the long-term effectiveness of large-scale clearance depends on the removal of cut brushwood and a properly funded programme of continued maintenance. Disturbed ground can quickly be recolonised by fast-growing eucalyptus and acacia, potentially recreating the combustible vegetation the intervention was intended to remove.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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