Environment and agriculture ministers stressed this Friday that the south of the country is in a severe and severe drought and have taken water saving measures, others have announced, such as suspending the construction of new greenhouses in southwest Alentejo.
The measures were announced at the end of the meeting of the Permanent Commission for the Prevention, Monitoring and Management of Drought (CPPMAES) by Ministers of the Environment Duarte Cordeiro and Agriculture Maria do Seu Antunes.
Referring to the data of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on April 15, the responsible persons said that 18.6% of the country’s territory is already in severe drought, and 10.1% is in severe drought.
A severe drought is affecting the south of the country and a small part of the northeast of Tras os Montes, while a severe drought is affecting the south of the country, the agriculture minister warned.
He explained that at the CPPMAES meeting, measures were adopted or maintained for the southern region, the Alentejo and the Algarve, one of which, in the Mira region, banned new planting of perennial crops and “greenhouses and the like.”
“We are once again entering a difficult period”, being on April 15 “in a situation that already looks very difficult,” Maria do Seu Antuns warned.
In fact, he added, there is a possibility that the situation will worsen.
As for the reservoirs, while most of them reliably provide the irrigation campaign this year, there are several reservoirs in the south dedicated to supplying people and agriculture.
Maria do Seu Antunes mentioned the hydro-agricultural developments of Campillas and Alto Sado (including Campillas, Fonte Serne, Monte Gata and Monte da Rocha) being “in a more difficult situation, with a contingency plan”, which may lead to some cases of ban on the use of water for irrigation.
And also in the World, namely in Santa Clara, and in hydro-agricultural complexes, including Silves, Lagoa and Portimão, and Alvor from Bravura.
In the case of Silves, Lagoa and Portimão, the transfer of water from the Funcho reservoirs in Arad and the application of a contingency plan are foreseen. According to the minister, two captures seized last year remain in Alvor.
The Minister said that in Campillas and Alto Sado, with full restrictions on farming in the World, based on an agreement between the two ministries and farmers, it was decided to reduce the watershed quota associated with a “very restrictive contingency plan.”
The minister said she issued an order this Friday that currently prohibits the planting of new perennial crops in prosperous areas, “as well as the installation of new greenhouses and the like.”
“And we are not going to allow irrigation, in particular, those areas that also did not have irrigation in 2022,” he added.
Mir is investing funds, for example, in the restoration of an irrigation canal, and it is also planned to build a desalination plant. There are also investments in Campillas and Alto Sado to be completed by 2025, not to mention the investments already made in the Algarve (Alvor, Silves, Lagoa and Portimão).
Maria do Seu Antunes noted that after the situation with the drought is resolved, measures can be taken to help farmers.
In a statement released this Friday on the situation on April 15, IPMA said that the maximum air temperature was almost always above average, that half of the meteorological stations experienced a heat wave from April 2 to 11, and rainfall was “well below normal” throughout the territory. and there was no rain in the south.
On April 15, according to meteorological drought, the situation was normal on 21.8% of the territory, 28.3% – light drought, 21.2% – medium drought, 18.6% – severe drought, 10.1% – extreme drought.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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