Drought will be a “new normal” in Portugal due to climate change and errors in agriculture, warns the League for the Protection of Nature
For the League for the Protection of Nature, there are crops that are “a mistake” in the south of the country, such as corn plantations, due to the amount of water they require.
The drought situation that the country is experiencing will be due to climate change that mistakes of health protection in agriculture, the defense sector of Monday the president of Nature.
“We must assume that we will have this crisis in the future”, said Jorge Palmeirim in statements to the agency, regretting that no measures were taken before dams reached current levels.
For the person responsible for the LPN, there are crops that are “a mistake” in the south of the country, such as corn plantations, due to the amount of water they require.
At this time, he defended the use of cuts in water, especially in the agricultural sector, taking as a supply the supply of the populations.
“It is necessary, from now on, to cut back in agriculture in an intelligent way”, he advocated, exemplifying that the avocado culture in the south of the country also has a high consumption of water.
“When there is a lot, the tendency is for the water, to plant what makes the most profit, when there is a crisis they don’t want to stop waiting, because they have made investments. It’s a vicious circle.”
According to Jorge Palmeirim, preventive measures were lacking for periods of drought and urban areas, justifying at this moment a campaign for the agricultural sector, but also for water savings.
“When we build a dam, the irrigated area is also increased. New dams could help solve the problem if it didn’t increase the irrigated area,” he said.
The drought, he assured, will not pass: “It will get worse. The availability of water in the south of the country will decrease. We should see the drought as a warning so we don’t have to always run after the damage”.
Contacted by Lusa, Jorge Palmeirim stressed that the existing plans increase the amount of irrigation in agriculture, contrary to what would be expected.
“Basically, it is exacerbating the problems we are experiencing. It’s the same thing that will be on a train coming against us and instead of us on the train, running against it”, referring to a plan also criticized today by environmentalist QUERCUS, in a statement.
According to QUERCUS, more than a month after the end of the public consultation on the study “Irrigation 20/30 – Survey of the Development Potential of Public Initiative Irrigation in the Horizon of a Decade”, and after the legal deadline for its dissemination had passed, the Contributors continue to remain unpublished.
The association designated to the investments that is in question “an unacceptable credit proposal and made as accounts, manifested itself against the expected value, in several.
“Considering 233 million from the National Irrigation Program, 400 million from the National Investment Program (PNI 2030) and the investment foreseen in the PRR for the construction of the Pisão dam, in total we are talking about around 1.5 billion to apply in irrigation, a value that exceeds the forecast of the need to study the FE-NA next date in the recent REG, entity that represents the national organization for 90% of the next date”, entity that represents the national organization for 90% of the morning”, entity representing the national organization for 90% of the morning.
A understands that the “drought association” that plagues the country “at unprecedented levels” requires answers to fundamental problems and a work of articulation and involvement of all sectors, competent entities and civil society.