Lusa News Agency contacted the municipalities of Amadora, Azambuja, Cascais, Mafra, Odivelas, Oeiras, Loures, Vila Franca de Xira and Sintra, which claim to have made the population aware of the need to reduce water consumption.

In Loures, a contingency plan was designed for drought situations that, considering the current circumstances, determined among other measures, the “reinforcement of the picket teams” that aims to accelerate the ruptures in the water network, the increase of “pine chips in green spaces” and the “study of desirable consumption limits, if necessary, for different types of consumers”.

In Oeiras, water is collected by traditional means for irrigation, and the soil is prepared to conserve moisture so that irrigation is less frequent.

In Odivelas, councillor João António explained that there is a pilot project in which the irrigation of some areas of the municipality is controlled by 'wi-fi', also regulated according to the species that need to be watered and that the municipality will have until the end of the year a climate change mitigation plan, to be added to the already existing adaptation plan.

In Amadora, councillor Vítor Ferreira said he is working with Águas do Tejo Atlântico "for the reuse of water for cleaning the streets and with EPAL to use the waste from the Águas Livres Aqueduct in reservoirs for the irrigation system in public gardens".

In the municipality of Cascais, species that resist drought were strategically planted, thus reducing the need for watering in public spaces. The same also happens in Azambuja. However, in the municipality, non-potable water is used for washing, and irrigation and is used by firefighters.

With the country in a situation of severe and extreme drought, it has rained practically half of what would be normal since October 2021, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA).