The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Rabo de Peixe that the protection and coastal redevelopment works that will take place in this village belonging to the municipality of Ribeira Grande "will be essential to halt the impact of the sea," which is the main factor of erosion in that area.
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu spoke at the presentation of the coastal protection project for the cliff where Rua de São Sebastião (street) is located, stressing that this work falls within "a series of interventions" that the Regional Government has promoted in this village since 2011.
 
With this work, whose budget is estimated at 3.3 million Euros, the Government of the Azores intends to stabilise the base of the cliff through a rockfill protection with a length of 350 metres in order to reduce erosion by the sea on this side of the coast.
 
The work also includes some interventions on the side of the cliff as well as on the top of the cliff, namely the sealing of unoccupied land where the buildings demolished last year were located.
 
Brito e Abreu stated that, despite the sea being responsible for the disappearance of the more permeable area of the cliff, next to the base, there are other additional factors of erosion, particularly rainwater and drainage systems, as the geological instability of the cliff.
 
This work also includes the construction of a rainwater spillway. The Ribeira City Hall will be in charge of connecting the houses located in Rua de São Sebastião to the domestic sewage system, thus eliminating the use of septic tanks.
 
In his speech, the Regional Secretary also announced the start, in coming days, of "the consolidation and sealing works of the cliff top in the area that is most fragile since the landslides of June" this year, representing an investment of 130 thousand Euros.
 
The first intervention aims to create a "containment curtain" that will prevent cliff retreats cause by landslides in that area, ensuring "the safety of the road and the houses that are now closer to the edge of the cliff after the last landslide." In addition, it will provide better safety conditions for the works to be carried out at the base of the cliff.
 
"In a century in when we will face climate change and extreme weather events more often, this is an essential work," Brito e Abreu said, noting that with such interventions "we are buying time because erosion will continue to occur at a slower pace. "
 
The Secretary for the Sea folder also stressed that the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory (LREC) is monitoring the cliff where Rua de São Sebastião is located, with no need to rehouse residents at this time; however, he added that "it is important to prevent the licensing for the construction of homes in risk areas."
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu said this project defines "a solution from an environmental perspective, respecting the landscape and leaving room for the implementation of other works in the future."
 
The area of Rabo de Peixe cliff where Rua de São Sebastião is located has been subject to several interventions carried out by the Government since 2015. They included demolition of more than twenty properties at risk, the removal of the north side pavement, the construction of a wall and the imposition of restrictions to traffic on that street, following the recommendations issued by LREC.