Torres Novas inaugurates ecological corridor in Almonda development project (with video)

The objective is to enhance Almonda, assuming it as a structuring ecological corridor that allows the connection of various locations in the municipality, in particular between the Municipal Market area and the area close to Nersant and the Beira Interior motorway (A23/IP6) and its enjoyment by the population.

For the mayor of Torrejan, this is an “extremely important” project taking into account the characteristics of the municipality over which he presides and in which there is one that stands out. “It has to do precisely with the river. The river, over the centuries, was not always well treated, there were times when there was a lot of pollution, with factories that existed and polluted the river,” he said.

Looking at the Almonda, Pedro Ferreira considers that today it is a cleaner river and the creation of this route in nature makes it possible to respond to a challenge: “to get the population, especially the youngest and least young, to look at their river and to live it. It’s not common in many cities, but this is a river that enters the city and surrounds it. Therefore, whoever lives here has to live with the river every day, live with it.”

VIDEO

The intervention, budgeted at 450 thousand euros, included the cleaning of the riverbed and banks, the eradication of invasive plant species, the reprofiling and stabilization of the banks, and the requalification of the riparian gallery and the vegetation on the banks, along with the creation of a route of around three kilometers for nature observation.

Speaking to mediotejo.net, Pedro Ferreira, mayor of Torres Novas, explained that when the municipality became aware of the “candidacy with significant values”, they sought to take advantage of it, allying themselves with the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).

Once the application was approved, they “rolled up their sleeves” and the project was presented, which saw its official inauguration on Thursday.

“People first started to look at what it was and then enjoy it. I would say that during the day, rain or shine, we have people from Torres Novas and outside Torres Novas traveling along this route”, highlighted the mayor.

The Almonda ecological corridor corresponds to a route of around 3km that, in the near future, the municipality seeks to “expand outside the city area, to the Riachos area and the Ribeira area”.

The route follows the stretch of the Almonda River, which for Pedro Ferreira is of great natural beauty, highlighting what is already a hallmark of the municipality. “History states that it was characterized in Roman times as the little Mondego. Don’t ask me what comparisons it has with the Mondego… it’s not in length, nor in width, but they thought, perhaps due to its surroundings, that the Almonda had this characteristic”.

“It is a very beautiful area, along its entire route, with the famous Almonda caves and therefore, it is a source, it is a treasure that Torres Novas should be proud of and which has been reflected in its municipal coat of arms. We have to take care of it, remove any problems it may still have and make it even brighter so that it becomes a beach for Torrejanos (…). May it be challenging to look at, to get your feet wet, to dive and that people feel good, even in spirit, looking at the Almonda River”, highlighted the mayor.

The CMTN councilor responsible for the environment and sustainability, João Trindade, recalled the work carried out, which he considered to be “really differentiating” and which “allows for an improvement in the space at an ecological level”.

For the future, he highlighted the intention to continue the work, especially in the areas that are most degraded. “We are talking downstream, from where we ended the intervention today, towards the Riachos. There is still a lot of work to do, it is an agricultural area, with many sugarcane fields and it is really a section that we intend to develop, rehabilitate and renaturalize in the same way as we did here”.

The project seeks to follow almost the entire river, although there are spaces that do not allow natural passage. “We have this second phase towards Riachos and we will also have it upstream, up to Ribeira. It would be good if the Almonda Route, which already exists, was improved and allowed, from the source to the mouth (…), access and for us to preserve our heritage, our Almonda river”, he highlighted.

The president of the Municipal Assembly of Torres Novas, José Trincão Marques, was also present at the session, highlighting the possibility of “bringing people closer to the river” as the main advantage of the work.

Addressing those present, José Trincão Marques said that “we can only protect and defend heritage when we know it. Whether the river is hidden behind brambles and thicket is not known. There are people who have no idea what the river meanders through our city.”

“This opening of the river to the population is very important. In fact, the extension of this path (…) will also allow many people to practice physical activity and leisure (…). It has this double aspect, bringing people closer to the river, which is a fundamental ecological heritage, but it also challenges people to be able to enjoy the landscape, practice sports and do physical activity which is so important nowadays”, he added.

The inauguration was part of Environment and Sustainability Week with environmental awareness activities, a seminar dedicated to climate, composting training, cleaning actions, among others.

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