In a press conference, held after a meeting of the commission monitoring the effects of the drought, in Faro, Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro classified the situation in the region as serious and called for the commitment of all sectors to ensure that water reserves reach the next year.

“If nothing is done regarding consumption moderation, we would reach the end of the year without water for public supply” in the Algarve, said the government official, who chaired the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes.

At the meeting of the Permanent Commission for Prevention, Monitoring and Follow-up of the Effects of Drought, which lasted almost four hours, smaller cuts were decided than those initially planned for agriculture, which were estimated at 70%.

The Minister of the Environment said that the capacity of the Algarve's reservoirs is at a level of 25%, compared to 45% last year at the same time, explaining that there is an “objective need” to take measures to ensure that there is water in the region in 2025.

“As a matter of caution”, said the government official, for the management of resources in the urban cycle, the lowest water consumption in the last 10 years, around 64 cubic hectometres, was chosen as a reduction limit, which corresponds to a reduction of around 15% compared to last year's consumption (around 74 cubic hectometres) and around 8% compared to the average of the last 10 years.

Still in the urban sector, water capture from aquifers will also be reinforced, with a doubling of capacity, from seven to 14 cubic hectometers.

For the tourism sector, it was decided to reduce consumption in tourist resorts and groundwater abstraction by 15%.

In relation to the agricultural sector, the water necessary “to at least guarantee the subsistence of the species” and the water that is intended to be reserved for the beginning of next year was considered, pointed out Duarte Cordeiro.

Thus, a proposal for a 25% reduction in last year's water consumption was established, which was 135 cubic hectometers (100 h3 from aquifers and 35 h3 from reservoirs).

Domestic consumption

In relation to domestic consumption, the Minister of the Environment said, “each municipality will have to be able to save 15%” of what it consumes, and if there are two months of non-compliance, penalties are foreseen, which may include a price penalty for distribution or a reduction of water volumes.

The reduction in pressure on flows, the suspension of second meters and specific measures for the tourism sector were other measures highlighted by Duarte Cordeiro.

Related articles