The Secretary of State for the Environment, Emídio Sousa, visited the municipality of Baião on 17 January, during which he praised the environmental and sustainability policies promoted by the municipality, noting with satisfaction the actions underway and reiterating the Ministry of the Environment’s willingness to collaborate in the realisation of new projects.
‘Baião has realised that its natural and environmental heritage is an asset for the territory. According to the plans presented to me, it’s on the right track, both in terms of restoring the forest and in valuing and making the most of water resources. There is a well-structured plan in terms of sustainable development, which deserves my congratulations, both from the municipal executive and the people of Baião. Only with the involvement of the population can these objectives be achieved,’ said the Secretary of State.
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FORESTS WILL ALSO COME TO BAIÃO
Emídio Sousa also pointed out that there are ambitious projects planned for the future and assured the government of his support to realise them. ‘We are available to support some of the applications that have all the conditions to be approved in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment. Forest recovery, for example, is a priority, which is why the government has created mechanisms with significant amounts of money to support this type of initiative. The Secretary of State for Forests will also be visiting this area soon,’ he revealed.
Regarding water supply and sanitation, areas in which Baião has made notable progress, but where the targets have not yet been completely met, Emídio Sousa defended an approach adjusted to the specific characteristics of each territory. ‘The differences between high and low density municipalities are very significant. This is an issue that needs to be well studied, and although it’s not a direct competence of the government, we’re willing to collaborate,’ he said.
VALORISATION OF THE TEIXEIRA RIVER WILL CREATE A MAJOR ASSET IN THE MUNICIPALITY
As for the project to improve the Teixeira River, which will involve an investment of more than 2 million euros, the Secretary of State said that it is an application that ‘has all the conditions to become another great asset for the municipality’.
As for the project to create a Biomass Plant, he said that it will be a process to be evaluated in order to conclude on the best solution, emphasising that ‘the Municipality has done its job well’.
The mayor of Baião, Paulo Pereira, thanked the Secretary of State for his willingness to help and noted how easy it was for him to engage in dialogue and how open he was, which ‘also stems from the fact that he was a mayor and knows the challenges facing local authorities very well’, he noted. He also expressed his satisfaction at the way in which the Secretary of State, ‘within the mechanisms at his disposal, was willing to help’ and listed some of the areas and processes he had defined as priorities.
Firstly, the ‘great challenge of water and sanitation’, but also the possibility of soon moving towards an Integrated Landscape Management Area (AIGP) – which replaces the previous Forest Intervention Zones (ZIF). In this case, the mayor warned that ‘it’s an opportunity that we’ll all have to seize, municipality and owners, to take care of our forest, not only from the perspective of forest management – fire prevention, in the context of climate change – but also pointing to the return we can get from its valorisation,’ he explained.
MEETING WILL HAVE PRACTICAL RESULTS
Also in the case of the application to enhance the Teixeira River, Paulo Pereira noted the ‘impetus of the government official’ for its realisation, as well as in other areas that were presented to him, and said that he was ‘convinced that the meeting will produce very positive practical results that will have a significant impact on the future of the area, translating into a constant improvement in the quality of life of our population, which is what motivates us all’, assured the mayor of Baião.
The government official was received at the Town Hall by the mayor, Paulo Pereira, and then took part in a working meeting with councillors and technicians from the municipality, where they took stock of the situation and presented new projects in various areas such as strengthening the water supply and sanitation networks, land use planning, fire resilience, urban solid waste management, and the environmental valorisation of forest areas and watercourses, among others. The presentations were given by the head of the Environment and Sustainability Unit, Dora Pinto, and the Municipal Civil Protection Coordinator, José Manuel Ribeiro.
The visit also included a trip to the site of the Teixeira river enhancement project and to the place where the hydraulic passage over the watercourse was rebuilt, in the village of Moita, in Teixeiró, which had been damaged by bad weather in October 2023. The mayor of the Teixeira and Teixeiró parishes, Jorge Rodrigues, also accompanied the visit.
Also taking part in this visit by the Secretary of State for the Environment were the Deputy Mayor, Filipe Fonseca, and the Councillor for the Environment, Henrique Ribeiro.
Emídio Sousa’s presence in the municipality, at the invitation of the mayor, is part of the executive’s commitment to sustainable development, environmental preservation, attractiveness and valorisation of the territory.
