Sea advanced more than 30 meters on Barra Beach

The sea has advanced more than 30 meters at Praia da Barra in recent days, partially destroying the dune protection walkway that connected to Costa Nova , and the situation could get worse, the mayor of Ílhavo warned this Tuesday.

“At the moment there are no people or property at risk , but from one moment to the next we could have brutal damage, namely dealers losing their equipment,” João Campo Largo told Lusa.

The Mayor of Ílhavo believes that “the peak has not yet passed” and that “the sea will only calm down in May” and recalls what happened in 2014, when the sea entered Costa Nova, destroying several beach bars.

“At this moment, if the sea reaches the spur, we will have erosion on the way to Barra”, commented the mayor, who met this Tuesday with representatives of the Portuguese Environment Agency to learn about the situation.

At the end of the meeting, João Campolargo told Lusa that the proposed solution involves depositing sand to protect the coastline , but this requires an agreement to be signed between the Portuguese Environment Agency and the port administration.

“This agreement must be made to take advantage of the next dredging operation that the Port of Aveiro carries out and deposit the sediments there, but there are still no dates for this intervention”, stated João Campolargo.

The Mayor of Ílhavo regrets that, since 2019, there has been no reinforcement with sand replenishment on those beaches : “we always react after the consequences, when prevention is better than cure”.

“Only when we see machines on the ground and sand being deposited will we be truly calm,” he declared.

The Mayor of Ílhavo highlights that the areas at greatest risk, between Ovar and Marinha Grande, must receive increased attention from the Government, which must provide a financial package appropriate to the interventions that prove necessary.

“We need to know who does what and with what money”, says João Campolargo, referring in particular to the maintenance and replacement of the walkways, which requires funds that the municipalities, on their own, do not have, suggesting that the replacement could be done through the company that succeeded Polis, RiaViva, duly equipped with financial resources for this purpose.

“Since these matters are the responsibility of the Portuguese Environment Agency, it is necessary to understand who is responsible for them, so that local authorities are not overburdened,” he states.