On Tuesday, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea said, in the Azorean Parliament, that the public works in the fajã (cliff) do Calhau, on the island of São Miguel, “were not detrimental to the environment.”
According to Álamo de Meneses, the project is owned by the Regional Government that is seeking nothing more than the “construction of a safe road to provide access to an area that is used by man since the settlement of the island.”
He added that what is happening in the fajã (cliff) do Calhau “is not different from what has already happened in other fajãs (cliffs) of the Azores where access roads have been built.”
In the view of Álamo de Meneses, “contrary to the claims put forth by the Bloco de Esquerda (Leftist Bloc) we re not faced with an environmental crime” given that the owner of the project is known and the surrounding populations are aware of its purpose.”
He ensured that in the fajã “nobody will build more than what is projected,” in accordance with the rigorous land-use and coastline planning criteria that is applicable to that area.
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea said that this project, apart from providing safe access to that area, also enable to clean the invasive species that were found in the cliff.
Therefore, he said, the proposal of Bloco de Esquerda (leftist bloc) for a public inquiry into the matter makes no sense.