Dry. Municipalities of Greater Lisbon change gardens, irrigation and reuse water – Observer
The Municipalities of Greater Lisbon are decreasing as irrigation and the reuse of water used in public spaces to reduce consumption in the face of drought in the territory, but they do not intend to cut in the supply to the populations.
Contacted by Lusa, the Chambers of Agência Amadora, Azambuja, Cascais, Mafra, Odivelas, Oeiras, Loures, Vila Franca de Xira and Sintraam, which have made the population aware of consuming less water, taking advantage of water in explanatory sources, washing and irrigation and Decreased its use in municipal services, with emphasis on the irrigation of green spaces: carried out in less places, more intervals at night (avoiding evaporation caused by the sun).
In Loures (PS), there is a contingency plan for drought situations, taking into account the current circumstances, determining, among other measures, the “picket reinforcement” to speed up repairs of rupture in the water network, the increase of “chip pine trees in green spaces” and “study of desirable consumption limits, if necessary, for different types of consumers”.
The Oeiras executive (IN-OV) underlines that, in the council’s green spaces, uses “traditional water harvesting for irrigation”” and a “preserve adapted from soil-species plants” that avoids “the appearance of weeds”.
In Odivelas (PS), councilor João António explained that they have a pilot project in which the irrigation of some spaces in the municipality is controlled by wi-fi, a project according to the plants and soil, and that the municipality will have at the end of the mitigation plan against changes, adherence to the existing adaptation plan.
Already in Amadora PS), councilor Vítor Ferreira reworks with Águas do Tejo Atlântico “for the reuse of water in the water in the discharge of water and systems for recycling water from the Aque” (public gardens).
Following the municipal plan for the intelligent use of water, the municipality of Cascais (PSD/CDS-PP) plant “species adapted to dry climate” “To reduce irrigation and they are being brought to perfection, to reduce irrigation and they are perfect for the next that a being transformed from rainfed, so it follows the cycle of nature and, therefore, the cycle of nature is not sustainable irrigation”.
The adaptation of plantations to the dry climate followed in Azambuja, will also be explained by the mayor, Silvin Lúcio (PS), adding that non-potable water will be used in washing, irrigation and by firefighters come from holes recently opened in the Aveiras Environmental Park. under.
In Vila Franca de Xira (PS), the future of green spaces also involves autochthonous species and flow reducers were installed in the Dukes of sports infrastructure, as well as distributed to more than four thousand students from schools in the county for installation in installation facilities House.
In the municipality of Mafra, flow reducers were also installed in public buildings, detailed the mayor, Hlder Sousa Silva (PSD), adding that, in recent years, it has also been installed in water pipes to avoid losses due to ruptures. which currently stands at 16%, and which intends to assess the water abstraction spread across the county so that it can serve as “reserves”.
The mayor of Sintra, Basílio Horta (PS), stressed that 6% of the county’s wastewater is reused (the national average is 1%) and that the objective is to “quickly” reach 15%, also admitting that the Ornamental fountains that do not use water recirculation systems may be isolated.
Cascais and Sintra also have in their central desalination plans for domestic water consumptionas well as Mafra, who applied his project to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), but was not selected so far.
Since 2019, the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (AML) have subscribed to the Metropolitan Plan for Climate Change, a set of responses to documents that identify climate impacts and vulnerability problems in the AML and an adaptation concept and an articulation of the various environmental issues.
The Castelo de Bode reservoir, the main water supplier in Lisbon, had a quota of 68.1% in July, a value lower than the average for that time of year, which is around 80%.
According to government information released on August 24, there are 49 reservoirs with water below 40% of capacity and four below 20%.
With the country in a situation of severe and extreme drought, since half of what would be normal in October 2021, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea of the Atmosphere (IPMA).