According to data available on the Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company (EDIA) website, the reservoir is at elevation 151.28.

Therefore, there are 72 centimetres left for the water stored in this Alentejo reservoir to reach the dam's maximum level, which is 152.

Contacted by the Lusa agency, a company source explained that, Alqueva has “3,904.42 cubic hectometers [hm3] stored”, so, to reach the total capacity of 4,150 hm3, 245.58 hm3 remain.

“11 years ago, on April 1, 2013, we were flushing because the Alqueva was filled to level 152”, recalled the same source, adding that, in the following year, the reservoir “was also practically full, but then there was no need to carry out unloading.”

Given the current situation, when asked whether discharges are planned, the same source simply stated that EDIA is “monitoring the situation”.

“We are monitoring the inflows and controlling the volume of the reservoir by boosting the hydroelectric plant”, he added.

Alqueva is the largest artificial lake in Europe and has a floodable area of 250 square kilometres and around 1,100 kilometres of banks.

The floodgates were closed on February 8, 2002, and the process of filling the reservoir began.