“As of today, 7 June, Fuseta-Mar Beach is officially open to holidaymakers, after a sand replacement intervention completed by the municipality in record time”, said the municipality of the district of Faro in a statement.

The municipality highlighted that the reopening is taking place after a “quick operation” to replace the sand, which “allowed the usual quality to be restored to one of the most sought-after beaches in the region” of the Algarve, located on one of the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa, a natural area classified as a Natural Park.

“Our goal was to ensure that Olhão residents and visitors can enjoy the beach with the same quality as always. This replacement of sand was essential to ensure this”, said Antonio Miguel Pina, mayor of Olhão, quoted in the municipality’s statement.

The mayor considered, however, that it is necessary to “move forward with the structural work announced by the [Environment] Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho” to “combat the silting of the Ria Formosa and guarantee the stability of the Fuseta beach in the medium and long term”.

This is an intervention that “cannot fail to happen”, according to António Miguel Pina, recalling that this was a commitment made by the Government on April 10, after Maria da Graça Carvalho participated in a technical visit to the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa.

Five days later, the APA announced that Fuseta-Mar Beach, in Olhão, Algarve, would receive 40 thousand cubic metres of sand as part of an “urgent intervention” to ensure its use during the bathing season.

The work allowed sand to be returned to the beach “in acceptable quantities” to ensure safety conditions, allow the use of access walkways and the installation of bathing facilities for the bathing season, which officially began on 1 June in most municipalities in the Algarve.

According to the APA, the artificial reinforcement of the beach will be complemented by the natural cycles of coastal dynamics, “which should contribute to the additional replenishment of sediments over time”.

The “urgent” sediment reinforcement work, budgeted at 300,000 euros, was financed by the APA and carried out by the municipality of Olhão, but a larger-scale structural intervention is planned, to be carried out within the scope of the Multi-Year Dredging Plan 2024-2026, the APA explained at the time.

This operation will involve replacing 150,000 cubic metres of sand, expanding the width of the beach by around 30 metres.

With an estimated cost of 924,000 euros, the work “should take place over four months and will include dredging and repulsion, with the aim of improving the efficiency and coastal management of the area”, the APA also explained at the time.