"At the moment, after the flooding that took place in late 2019, there is no longer enough water in the Aguieira dam to ensure the supply to the three sectors of activity during next summer. If no more rain comes, the water in the dams is not enough," Eduardo Oliveira e Sousa, president of CAP, told reporters.

"How was it possible, after the dam was completely flooded, to have a flood like the one there was and now, at the end of the month, there is not enough water for next summer! There is a disconnection here that in this day and age is not admissible," observed the head of CAP.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Montemor-o-Velho with farmers in the Mondego area, which, he recalled, was "greatly affected" by the December floods, Eduardo Oliveira e Sousa defended the need for "coordination" between the ministries of agriculture and environment - and the creation of "a real working group that looks at the Mondego project to prevent these situations from happening again.

"It is unacceptable and incomprehensible that a project that has been in operation for 30 years has around 40% of the work to be done or completed. Part of the equipment already needs to be updated and the previous works are not yet finished".

"How is it admissible that a pumping station that has six pumps planned, only two are there and only one is functional? There's a whole range of issues here that make farmers very worried about the approaching crop season," he argued.