Following Fires: Strategy Implemented for Preventing Soil and Water Pollution Spread

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, has announced a series of urgent initiatives to combat the ongoing wildfires and prevent future disasters in affected areas.

In a meeting held in Trancoso, local authorities, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) were present. The minister emphasized the need for immediate action, stressing the importance of going "immediately to the field with the means of municipalities, Civil Protection, APA, and ICNF to start projecting and doing as quickly as possible."

The initiatives will cover several aspects, including roads, signaling, removal of burned material, nature restoration, and surveillance. One of the key focuses is on early fire detection, with agreements being made for this purpose.

Projects in the affected areas will include creating central locations for storing equipment for firefighting, disaster protection, and care of vulnerable population groups. These facilities will be equipped with protective gear, on-site cleaning, tables, benches, field beds, blankets, sleeping bags, heaters, emergency power generators, water pumps, light masts, sandbags, and sandbag filling machines.

A hazard prevention plan has been established with disaster management teams. This plan aims to systematically assess personnel and resources, define interfaces between firefighting units and disaster teams, and use alert apps for crisis management and vulnerable group support.

The minister also highlighted the importance of soil retention to prevent landslides and water contamination. This is a crucial step to protect the main rivers at risk, such as the Douro, the Mondego, and the tributaries of the Tejo.

Despite potential hindrances due to the lack of companies, labor, and technical support, the minister plans to resort to all possible means to prevent ashes from reaching water lines. The contracts for these initiatives will be signed on a case-by-case basis with the funding of the APA, ICNF, or the Environmental Fund.

A program contract will be celebrated for each area where major fires occurred, involving the municipalities, APA, ICNF, and the Climate Agency. The minister conveyed the need for these contracts to be opened immediately, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.

The minister also stated that the interventions need to be made regardless of the financial allocation. The bureaucratic burden of processes has been reduced, according to the decree-law published on August 24, to facilitate the implementation of these initiatives.

Working meetings with the APA and ICNF have been scheduled for next week to discuss the details of these urgent projects. The minister stated that they have a little more time to finalize the program contract, ensuring that the most urgent projects and those with the highest risk receive immediate attention.

Following Fires: Strategy Implemented for Preventing Soil and Water Pollution Spread