The Islamic Festival of Mértola that was scheduled for the 19 a 21 May should be postponed, given the instability of the walls of the Historic Center, known as the “Vila Velha”.
Another fact that is causing apprehension and may lead to the postponement of the 11th edition of the event, which had already been postponed in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, is the lack of an alternative such as “Emergency Exit”, after the subsidence of the Estrada da Ribeira floor, last day 22 of March that led to the miscarriage of a heavy vehicle from the Mértola Chamber and the death of the driver.
Has learned the Lidador News (LN) with a source familiar with the process, a meeting is scheduled for the next few hours between the municipality, the Civil Protection, Security forces and institutions linked to geology, for making a final decision on the matter.
On Ribeira Road, the road that connects the old part of “Vila Museu” to the National Road 122 and in the center of Mértola, remains impassable, because the floor restoration works have not yet started, because it was only last week that the vehicle that fell to the bank next to the Oeiras river was removed, in the southern part of the village, on departure to the Algarve.
Remember that the Islamic Festival is held every two years and the last edition took place between 16 and 19 May 2019, having 8 of april of last year, Mértola City Council announced the postponement of the 11th edition that was scheduled for the month of May.
The postponement was due to “the unstable epidemiological situation and the impossibility of carrying out the same safely”, having the Mertolense autarchy revealing that it was rescheduled for May 2022, “beginning to take place in even years”, keeping the gap of two years”.
Having as main objective the safety of residents and visitors, the mertolense autarchy is on the verge of postponing the Islamic Festival again, situation that will be made public after the meeting with security authorities and other partners involved in the matter.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
