The Regional Secretary of Labour and Social Solidarity revealed in Horta on Wednesday that the Government of the Azores will stipulate, for each termite species, the municipalities whose territory is considered as a potentially infested area, including an infestation risk map.

The information was provided by Ana Paula Marques at the Legislative Assembly during the presentation of the proposal on the regional implementing-decree that approves the legal scheme for combating termite infestations.

According to the Regional Secretary, with this legislative initiative, which she considered as “structuring,” the Government intends to combine the regulation of different responsibilities, competences and the measures to fight against termite infestation in the archipelago in one document. 

Controlling and combating the infestation, granting financial support for disinfestations and repairing buildings damaged by termite infestations are some of the measures comprised by this document, which also focuses on the rules applicable to the transport and final destination of contaminated waste, especially of construction and demolition waste from infested buildings and the wooden fragments from the areas infested by termites.

Ana Paula Marques also stressed the fact that this new law establishes measures to control the infestation, particularly by prohibiting the introduction of live termites, wood, plants, furniture and other wooden infested materials as well as holding owners accountable for the disinfestation of any contaminated property or waste.

The governmental proposal also includes the creation of a Certification System of Termite Infestation which must ensure the implementation and compliance of buildings inspections to determine the existence of termite infestations, assess the vulnerability of the building and the effectiveness of desinfestation operations.

Furthermore, the Regional Secretary also stated that this system will certify the performance of procedures as well as of operators in the desinfestation of buildings, identify the corrective measures as well as the measures to reduce vulnerability of buildings and their contents to infestation in addition to certifying various materials as termite free.