The Minister of the Presidency has guaranteed that the situation will continue to be monitored and will not jeopardise the supply to the population while adding that there is water available for a year for consumption.

The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, argued that "to be fair and accepted", restrictions on water consumption must be proportional. "If it rains more and if the dimension and drama of the drought decrease in some way, we must adjust the measures." Therefore, as already announced by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in the last meeting to monitor the situation in the Algarve, the Government will move forward with easing restrictions.


"One of the interventions decided today is some relief from these restriction measures, according to the different types of consumption. This adjustment guarantees that, even if it doesn't rain again this year, not even a drop more, there will be water guaranteed for a year for urban consumption. It is a proportional relief, obviously giving priority to the urban consumption of families who receive water in their homes. But there are also reliefs in agricultural restrictions and for tourism," stressed the minister.


The monitoring system will be carried out every two months and, "when August arrives and the situation changes", a reanalysis of these restrictions will be carried out. The resolution, approved by the AD Executive, provides for two more groups of measures.


The second group of measures has to do with the additional investment of 103 million euros in the water cycle to reinforce the urban water network to reduce losses, "which are very significant", to build a pipeline (which will cost 27 million euros) which will serve the areas from Silves to Portimão, with agricultural production in mind, and to improve the use of wastewater.


Thirdly, investments in the Recovery and Resilience Plan will be accelerated, with the implementation rate of measures to combat drought in the Algarve at 5%.