"We are meeting the schedule we had proposed for the immediate actions, budgeted at €27 million. This is only for urgent and immediate actions resulting from the damage caused by the storms that caused a lot of damage to our coastline," Pimenta Machado told journalists at the end of a visit to the work on the Moledo seawall in Caminha, Viana do Castelo district.

The official noted that "more than 20%" of the country's coastal strip, about a thousand kilometres long, "is undergoing erosion with the threat of territory loss."

After a "very demanding" year due to the storms, short-term works are underway throughout the country, particularly in Esposende, Espinho, and Ovar, "the most affected municipality."

In the Algarve

On 2 April, "the largest sand replenishment operation in the Algarve" began, between Quarteira and Garrão.

Also in the Algarve, work began on Forte Novo beach, which "was heavily damaged."

Other locations

By the end of April, the APA wants to move forward with sand replenishment on the Costa da Caparica, "a large and very important operation as well."

"It's been tendered, the tendering process is complete, and now we're in the procedural phase," said Pimenta Machado.

On the affected beaches of Mafra, he said, "the work has been tendered," and the official expects to begin the project "within 15 days."

"We have a number of contracts across the country; it will be a very demanding year for us," stressed the president of the APA.

Mainland Portugal was hit by a series of storms between the end of January and the beginning of February, which left a trail of destruction, mainly in the central region of the country.