Portugal
Facing a drought in the south, Lisbon is doing its water rations
In Portugal, when more than a third of the country is in severe or extreme drought, water will be rationed for agriculture and golf courses in the Algarve.
published
In the Algarve, where parks or golf courses have water reuse systems, the water consumption reduction will be increased to 50 percent.
France Press agency
The Portuguese government has decided to ration water use in the drought-hit eastern tourist region of the Algarve, with the ultimate goal of reducing groundwater use by fifteen percent.
“In the dams of Odelite and Blech, water use for agriculture and golf courses will be reduced by 20 percent,” Portuguese Environment Minister Duarte Cordero told AFP after a meeting of the Drought Management Committee on Thursday evening. If parks or golf courses have water reuse systems, this reduction is increased to 50 percent.
The Portuguese executive also announced the creation of a “working group” dedicated to water resources in the Algarve, made up of members from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Directorate General of Agriculture, to review water withdrawal permits in the region. Duarte Cordero indicated that he will have to decide which licenses can be revoked with the aim of reducing water use from groundwater in the Algarve region by 15%.
European help request
According to the government, 36% of Portuguese territory is currently experiencing severe or extreme drought, particularly the Alentejo and Algarve regions in the south of the country. On Tuesday, at the Council of Ministers, Portugal officially submitted a request for assistance to Brussels, in order to demand the activation of the European agricultural reserve, said the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Sio Antunes.
According to the European Copernicus Observatory, 91.9% of Portuguese territory is affected by drought, including 25.8% that are in an alert state. The Iberian Peninsula is the European region most affected by this phenomenon.
(AFP)
