Drought in Portugal: Government prepares more for water use
With more than half of the period of cuts, the Government already has some rains of water in the next winter months, in case they do not occur.
“Here hypothetically – either we are consuming the water, or it is raining, we are consuming it”, said the Mayor of Al Municipality, António Bota, not that we have modified the plot, but we do not have much, but any plot that does not intend to be an alarm of in relation to water reserves leaves little room for nice words.
The drought is increasingly severe and threatens the medieval Alentejo village of Almodôvar, where about six thousand people live, and the municipality admits water cuts next winter, if it doesn’t rain.
The concern is, however, equal to other regions of the country in extreme drought. This is the case of the Douro, where the threat of running out of water in the waters is increasing.
Without rain, rivers and reservoirs are drying up and the Intermunicipal Community of Douro, which includes 19 municipalities, met in an emergency this Friday with the Government to try to find solutions to mitigate the problem.
With 55% of the country in severe drought, there are several regions where supply systems are at minimum levels. The Government prepares, therefore, more in the use of water.