Faro, Portugal, Nov. 18, 2024 (Lusa) - The six reservoirs and dams that supply Portugal's Algarve region are on Monday at 34% of their total water storage capacity, having risen by 5% with the rains of the last few days, according to data from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).
The Algarve's reservoirs and dams have a total volume of around 154 cubic hectometres (hm3), corresponding to 34% of their total storage capacity, and "the rains of the last few days have allowed 26 hm3 to be filled, which is equivalent to 35% of the needs of the urban and tourism sectors", the president of the APA told Lusa.
Despite an improvement in the situation in the region of the country most affected by the drought, José Pimenta Machado emphasised the need to maintain savings measures, as it is not known what the evolution of water volumes will be in the future.
"We're better off than we were before, but we have to maintain the same goal, the same plan to save water in the different sectors. In other words, for the urban sector 10% and for agriculture and tourism 13%," he said.
On the other hand, compared to the same period in 2023, there is an increase of approximately 39 hm3 of stored water, with the capacity of the reservoirs and dams rising from 115 hm3 in the same period last year (26% of capacity) to 154 hm3 (34%).
"The plan presented in May, with the easing of the cuts, is in line with the available water reserves," insisted the APA president.
The government decided in May to ease the restrictions previously imposed on water consumption in the Algarve's agriculture and urban sectors, including tourism, to cope with the region's drought.
The restrictions imposed on water consumption were reduced from 25% to 13% in agriculture and from 15% to 10% in the urban sector.
The reservoirs and dams in the sotavento (east) are the ones that have received the most water with the rains of the last few days, as it was in this part of the Algarve that the rainfall was most intense.
The Odeleite dam is now at 46% of its capacity (59.36 hm3), the Beliche dam at 38% (18.09 hm3) and the Funcho dam at 37 % (17.70 hm3).
In the west, the percentages are less significant, with the Odelouca dam at 31% of its capacity (49.16 hm3), the Arade dam at 17% (4.88 hm3) and the Bravura dam at 13% (4.40 hm3).
Following the rains that hit the Algarve between Thursday and Friday, Pimenta Machado wanted to leave a message of ‘solidarity’ to the people affected, praising the municipalities and regional Civil Protection for the work they did.
According to the Climatological Bulletin of the Portuguese National Meteorological Institute (‘IPMA’) released last Friday, in October there was a very significant decrease in the area in meteorological drought in mainland Portugal.
In the Lower Alentejo and the Algarve there was a decrease in the intensity of the meteorological drought, and at the end of October these regions were in the weak drought category.
FPB/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
