Levada (Madeira)

Paths can provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside, while others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in injury or death.

[3] Such improvements involved the continuous maintenance of streams, paving trails, and establishing safety fences on dangerous stretches.

In Madeira, the levadas originated out of the necessity to bring large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conductive to habitation and agriculture, such as sugar cane production.

[citation needed] In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions.

[citation needed] Today the levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island, they also provide hydroelectric power.

Some provide easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death.