The environmental association Zero this Friday opposed the construction of a second golf course in the tourist complex in Vila Real de Santo António because it is “incompatible” with the “water emergency” caused by the drought in the Algarve.
This objection was expressed during the public consultation on the Report on Environmental Compliance with the Implementation Project (RECAPE) of the golf club expansion project in the tourist resort of Monte Rei, located in the district of Vila Nova de Casela, which ended on Thursday, the association said in a communication .
“Zero has expressed an unfavorable opinion on the Monte Rei golf course expansion project because she believes that it is incompatible with the water emergency in the Algarve and could jeopardize the fundamental rights of the population, namely the right to access to sufficient water. water and proper quality,” he explained.
The same source recalled that a favorable conditional environmental impact statement (DIA) was issued on December 20, 2019, which was valid for four years, and the proponent requested an extension, which led to public consultation.
The association found that the measures provided for in the conditional DIA are “not appropriate to the current situation of drought and water shortages” because they require that “at the RECAPE stage, the golf course irrigation system be prepared to use other water sources in the future than those which are provided by the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento Algarvio Irrigation Plan (ABPRSA).”
Thus, in the event of a severe drought, he emphasizes, irrigation will be carried out by reusing wastewater, and the supply of water from the dams “may be suspended.”
However, this condition “does not guarantee the protection of the environmental and social interests” of the region, which is experiencing “unprecedented water shortages, exacerbated by climate change and high tourism pressure.”
According to the association, this condition “does not correspond to the current reality of the region” since RECAPE “does not envisage the use of water sources other than those supplied by ABPRSA” and the connection has yet to be established. with “high costs” for the Vila Real de Santo António wastewater treatment plant to obtain water without the use of dams or wells.
Zero warned that “construction of a new golf course poses yet another threat to the region’s already very fragile water resiliency,” which has been in drought for years, has below-average water supplies and will be the target of 15% water use restrictions for urban sector and 25% in agriculture.
“In this context, it is unreasonable for RECAPE to assume that ABPRSA will not restrict the use of water for golf course irrigation and that another form of irrigation other than the exclusive use of treated wastewater will be considered,” he opined.
On Monday, the vice-president of the Chamber of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Ricardo Cipriano, assured Lusa that the project will only move forward if irrigation is carried out using treated wastewater, clarifying that the municipality has no objection for this reason Monte Rey Golf Expansion at Public Hearing.
The president of the eastern Algarve irrigators’ association, Macario Correia, said he had nothing to oppose the project because water from dams and wells is not used for irrigation and farmers are suffering from consumption restrictions due to drought.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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