The Algarve’s reservoirs are now at 72% capacity, ensuring enough water for urban consumption for the next three to four years, José Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environment Agency, said today.
Speaking to the journalists, Pimenta Machado provided an update on the region’s water reserves and stressed that although the Algarve is seeing “the best situation in the past 10 years” in terms of stored surface water this November, it is crucial to remember that Southern Portugal’s struggles with droughts are not over, and that the “exemplary” efforts to improve water efficiency must continue.
Asked how long the Algarve’s supply for human consumption is guaranteed, he said reserves are sufficient for three to four years, even if the region faces “very bad years”. However, he reiterated the need for efficient water management.
“We must know how to manage water wisely to prepare for the coming years, which will surely bring drought and less rainfall. […] Some sectors say the drought is over, but it’s not over at all. This is a temporary situation, we’ve been lucky this year, but we must prepare for what lies ahead,” he said.
At present, the six reservoirs located across the Algarve are at an average of 72% capacity, amounting to 322 cubic hectometres. The Odelouca dam, which is the primary water source for the Western Algarve area, stands at 77%.
He highlighted that the main reservoir in the Eastern Algarve, Odeleite, is now at 76%, meaning the region’s two largest dams are “almost at 80% capacity” in the middle of the wet season, with more rain expected over the winter.
Pimenta Machado also noted the strong recovery at the Funcho reservoir in the west, typically one of the worst affected by the drought, it has now reached 80% of its capacity, and has already begun releasing water.
“Storm Cláudia allowed reserves to recover by five percentage points. On average, we went from 67% across the six reservoirs to 72%,” he added.
He stressed that, based on November’s figures, the Algarve is in “the best condition of the past 10 years” regarding water stored in its dams.
“But we mustn’t forget that in January 2024 we were in the worst situation ever, and that wasn’t long ago,” he warned, noting that the region then had “only four to five months of water left”, which forced the government to impose consumption restrictions on households, agriculture and tourism.
The APA president defended the need to “keep using water responsibly” and to continue the region’s work on improving water efficiency.
He described this effort as “an example for the country and even at EU level”, insisting that it must carry on. The drought placed the region in “a very difficult period”, he recalled, which required restrictions on major economic sectors such as tourism and agriculture.
Despite reservoir levels reaching 72%, recovery in underground water bodies, including aquifers “has not been significant”, he said.
“We need more sustained rainfall for underground reserves to recover. They were heavily depleted during the drought,” he added.
As an example, Pimenta Machado pointed to the Querença-Silves aquifer — the Algarve’s main groundwater reserve, which remains “at very low levels”, at “under 20%” of its capacity, he warned.
Source: LUSA
