Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho announced the decision in Quarteira on Wednesday, 30 September.

The work will be led by the APA in cooperation with Albufeira Council, with funding through the Sustentável 2030 programme.

Lusa, writing in Jornal do Algarve, reports that the main part of the project is a 1.5-kilometre tunnel designed to divert the Albufeira stream directly into the sea. This would reduce the volume of water flowing through the lower parts of the town during heavy rainfall.

Drainage tunnel

The drainage plan was presented in 2016 following the floods of 1 November 2015, but the tunnel was never built.

Its estimated cost has since risen from €15 million to €33 million, APA president José Pimenta Machado said. A further drainage collector on the eastern side of town also remains to be constructed.

Some work has already been completed. Barlavento reports that this includes the pumping station at Praça dos Pescadores, measures to reduce flooding around Praia do Inatel and the western hillside drainage collector.

Pimenta Machado said a project already exists, although it still needs to undergo an environmental impact assessment.

Coastal protection

The minister also announced a separate €16 million coastal protection project for Albufeira.

Covering around 8.5 kilometres of coastline, it includes sand replenishment and cliff works at Peneco, Forte de São João, Falésia and Rocha Baixinha.

That investment forms part of a wider €32 million programme for the Algarve coast.

Discussing the coastal projects, Carvalho said that arranging funding, completing technical work and launching tenders accounts for much of the time needed before construction can begin.

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