The mayor of Camara de Lobos said this Saturday that Fajã das Galinhas does not offer safe conditions for people to return to their homes and is currently in the process of relocation.
“We understand that the cliff and the road leading to Fajã das Galinhas, for a period of time that we have not been able to determine, do not provide the safety conditions for the return of people to their homes,” said Luse Leonel Silva.
The mayor said the decision had already been communicated to residents who were evicted from the area during the fire.
Residents will now be temporarily housed in municipal, public and regional facilities, while construction of permanent housing elsewhere has not been completed, he explained.
Leonel Silva stressed that the municipality will soon begin construction of 30 houses with an investment of 7.5 million euros in the Castelejo area, near Fajã das Galinhas, a place that does not pose any risks.
The project is not new: it was developed last year as part of the local housing strategy, where Fajã das Galinhas was already identified as being in a high-risk area, he stressed.
Saying the fire had accelerated the process, the mayor said most people no longer wanted to return to Fajã das Galinhas.
Leonel Silva stressed that the only road leading to the fahan will be reopened only so that the authorities can remove the animals from there, but for the population this remains prohibited, since safety conditions are not guaranteed.
The Madeiran government intends to relocate the residents of Fajã das Galinhas to a “more comfortable area”, the president of the executive power said this Saturday, given that the place remains isolated after the fire.
“The situation in Fajã das Galinhas is a very dangerous situation, it is no longer there and I think we are in a position to find a definitive solution for these families,” Miguel Albuquerque said at a press conference where he addressed the fire.
On August 17, 120 people were evicted from a site in the parish of Estreito de Cámara de Lobos, in the upper areas of the municipality, due to a fire that surrounded the area and made the only access road, which spans a length of about two kilometers along an escarpment, impassable.
A rural fire on the island of Madeira broke out on August 14 in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, gradually spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Santana.
On Saturday morning, on day 11, the regional civil protection service reported that the fire was under control and that operators remained on site to deal with the aftermath, monitoring some hot spots.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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