In the Algarve there will be cuts of 25% in agriculture and 15% in the urban sector.

In the Algarve, water cuts will be 25% in agriculture and 15% in the urban sector, including tourism, to conserve water supplies and combat drought, the environment minister announced on Wednesday.

At a press conference following a meeting of a commission monitoring the effects of the drought in Faro, Duarte Cordeiro classified the situation in the region as serious and called for a commitment from all sectors to ensure water supplies are met next year.

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

At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Drought Prevention, Monitoring and Mitigation, which lasted almost four hours, it was decided that cuts would be smaller than those originally planned for agriculture, which were estimated at 70%.

The Environment Minister said the Algarve’s reservoir capacity was at 25%, down from 45% at the same time last year, explaining there was an “objective need” to take action to ensure water availability. in the region in 2025.

“As a precaution,” the government official said, the lowest water consumption in the last 10 years was chosen as the reduction limit for urban resource management – about 64 cubic hectares, which corresponds to a reduction of about 15% compared to last year’s consumption (about 74 cubic hectometers) and about 8% compared to the average for the last 10 years.

In the urban sector, water abstraction from aquifers will also be increased, with the capacity doubling from seven to 14 cubic hectares.

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

As for the agricultural sector, water needed “at least to ensure the existence of the species” was considered, and water that is planned to be reserved for the beginning of next year, Duarte Cordeiro noted.

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

“Which, in particular, is reflected in the hydro-agricultural perimeter of the leeward (eastern) side, between the fact that the availability of supplies from Odeleyt is reduced, plus what is offset by the reactivation of some wells in the area, a reduction of approximately 50%. Regarding the Funcho Reservoir [no barlavento], is about 40%. And a reduction in water intake by 15%. [subterrânea] for irrigation,” he noted.

The meeting of the interministerial committee this Wednesday in Faro proposed a total of 46 measures, still to be approved by the Council of Ministers, for application by the municipalities, Aguas do Algarve, the Regional Commission for Coordination and Development of the Algarve, the leadership of hydro-agricultural development and the tourism sector.

Regarding domestic consumption, the environment minister said, “every municipality should be able to save 15%” of what it consumes, and there are penalties that could include a fine if the requirements are not met within two months. price penalty for distribution in larger or reduced volumes of water.

Duarte Cordeiro also noted the reduction in the load on traffic, the suspension of the work of second meters and specific measures for the tourism sector.

The Minister of the Environment said, without specifying specific funds, that three possibilities for financial support were being explored: for irrigation associations responsible for hydro-agricultural development; farmers so that they maintain their productive potential; and a line of credit to meet Treasury needs.