The mayors of the municipalities covered by the Girabolhos dam demanded on Wednesday compensations such as road construction, improvements to the water supply for the populations, and the protection of the Mondego River.
The demands were made during the opening session of the public tender for the construction of the project, which took place at the Gouveia City Hall in the Guarda district.
The Girabolhos dam will be built on the Upper Mondego, in an area that covers the municipalities of Fornos de Algodres, Gouveia and Seia in the Guarda district, Mangualde and Nelas in the Viseu district,
Jorge Ferreira (PSD), the mayor of Gouveia, was the first to speak and reminded that the Girabolhos dam has been “long requested by a broad portion of the populations and local authorities in our region.”
The president of the hosting City Hall also considered that the project could represent “a relevant opportunity” for local development.
“It is a historic moment for our municipality and for the entire region and the beginning of a new cycle because its realization carries with it a clear sign of hope in job creation, in the retention of people and in the attraction of private investment.”
Jorge Ferreira added that there is also “hope for improvements in accessibility and the attractiveness of our interior.”
“And, if, at the same time, it also contributes to strengthening the capacity to mitigate and control floods in the Lower Mondego, all the better,” he noted.
Nevertheless, the Gouveia mayor warned that the construction process of the Girabolhos dam must proceed “with transparency, technical rigor and ongoing dialogue.”
“It is essential that there be close coordination between the central administration, the Portuguese Environment Agency, the other involved entities and the municipalities covered.”
In his view, “by working together, it will be possible to build a balanced solution capable of reconciling environmental, energy, territorial and economic development objectives.”
Luciano Ribeiro (PS), president of the Seia City Hall, reminded that the construction of Complementary Itineraries (IC) 7, 37 and 12 are “aspirations” that remain unmet.
“This region demands the same solidarity it has with the country. We are not asking for highways, only better roads, which will be important to valorize this territory and the accesses to the dam,” he argued.
The Seia mayor suggested, moreover, that these routes could be included in the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that the Government intends to launch for new roads.
João Pedro Cruz, vice-president of the Mangualde City Hall, also from the PS, stated that the support of the mayors “is not a blank cheque.”
“The Girabolhos dam must contribute to the valorization of the territory and, for Mangualde, it is decisive for the water supply in the municipality,” he emphasized.
The mayor argued that “the priority of water for human consumption must be safeguarded before signing the contract” with the winner of the public tender.
He suggested, therefore, the creation of a monitoring commission for the project to “safeguard the interests of the populations and of the municipalities.”
The same urged the president of the Nelas City Hall, the Social Democrat Joaquim Amaral, who believes that “an update of the environmental impact study of the project is essential.”
Bruno Costa, vice-president of the Fornos de Algodres City Hall, elected by the PS, requested “concrete measures of protection and valorization of the Mondego River so that this can also be the great environmental rehabilitation work for that watercourse.”
In statements to journalists, already in Girabolhos, in the Seia municipality, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, stated that the compensations claimed by the mayors would be guaranteed.
“We will define the compensations in a monitoring committee for the entire process, which will involve the mayors, the APA, representatives of the region and associations of farmers or industries affected by the situation.”
The minister added that she will issue a decree to create “a joint management model” of the project.
