After Thursday's council meeting in Funchal, Socialist Party councillor Rui Caetano called for stronger cleaning of streams and irrigation channels, given the approach of a period of heavy rain.
According to the councillor, the municipality should ensure that gutters, drain grates and watercourses are cleared, including in the upper areas of the municipality, to prevent overflows and flooding of homes. He also argued that even where upkeep of the channels falls to the regional water authority or private associations, the council should require them to ensure cleaning and public safety.
Caetano also criticised structures placed around some trees, which he said obstruct pedestrians and could endanger elderly people, children and people with reduced mobility. He noted tyre marks on some of these structures left by delivery vehicles, and called for these solutions to be reconsidered to guarantee accessibility in public spaces.