The government announced this Wednesday that in order to combat the drought, it will recommend raising water tariffs for the largest consumers in 43 municipalities in the most critical situation.
The measure was announced this Wednesday by Environment and Climate Change Minister Duarte Cordeiro at a press conference following the meeting of the Standing Commission for Drought Prevention, Monitoring and Monitoring (CPMAES).
Following the meeting, the 11th this year, to discuss the drought situation on the continent and mitigation measures, Ministers of Agriculture and Food Maria do Seu Antunes and Environment and Climate Duarte Cordeiro announced 11 more measures, in addition to more 82, which have already been adopted at previous meetings.
The tariff increase, explained Duarte Cordeiro, should be aimed at consumers of more than 15 cubic meters of water, while the average household consumption is about 10 cubic meters.
Duarte Cordeiro explained that the tariff increase is intended for the 43 municipalities with less water, adding that there is “nothing preventing other” municipalities from doing so. “I would recommend this measure to any municipality in the country,” he said.
For the 43 most critical municipalities, the government, Duarte Cordeiro added, will also recommend restrictions on the use of water, such as temporarily suspending street washing or the use of swimming pools, and also provides for “a sanctions regime to punish misuse of water.”
According to the list of municipalities, 40 are in the north and center of the country and three in the Algarve. These are municipalities that have a water supply of less than a year.
According to the minister, reservoirs with less than 20% of their capacity will be monitored more closely and different water uses (names of use) of these reservoirs will be considered.
It will also seek, he added, to expand the use of the dead volume of these reservoirs, and the Government will also pay “special attention” to the protection of reservoirs in fire zones.
Also in relation to municipalities with less water, the minister said that with the support of the Environment Fund, pressure reducing taps will be installed in public buildings, and measures will be taken in the field of water accounting so that “there are no volumes of water lost or not accounted for in billing.”
The government also recommends that irrigation in these municipalities be carried out at night, and that projects be developed in the industrial sector to improve the efficiency of water use.
“The country as a whole retains the potential of public water supply for another two years,” the minister stressed, stressing that the Government is ready to discuss structural solutions for regions with a large water shortage in addition to the announced specific measures “to strengthen the resilience of the territories.”
Maria do Seu Antunes told reporters that the next meeting of the CPPMAES would take place within a month and reminded that the country was going through a “difficult situation” with a drought, “the most serious in a century”, and that “the data is not reassuring”.
However, of the 44 water reservoirs, most (37) could be used for irrigation and watering animals, the minister said, while the remaining seven reservoirs had “some restrictions.”
Currently, he said, there are 49 reservoirs with water below 40% and four below 20% capacity, in which the Government recommends watering at night.
The prolonged drought on the mainland is affecting crops, reducing water use and forcing villages to be supplied with tank trucks.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), almost half of the normal rainfall fell from October last year to August.
At the end of July, IPMA placed 55.2% of the continent in a severe drought situation and 44.8% in a severe drought situation. There was no continental location that was in a normal situation, or in mild drought conditions, or even in moderate drought conditions.
See the list of municipalities provided with critical systems (to date):
1 Aguiar da Beira
2 Practices of faith
3 Aliho
4 Aljezur
5 hand
6 Carraceda de Ansiaes
7 Salt loading
8 Celorico da Beira
9 keys
10 ovens Algodres
11 guard
12 lakes
13 Macedo de Cavaleiros
14 flails
15 Honey
16 Cold Mesao
17 Mogaduro
18 Moimenta da Beira
19 Montalegre (can serve Boticas and Ribeira de Pena)
20 Mortagua
21 Mursa
22 in them
23 Oliveira de Frades
24 Penalva do Castelo
25 pesos da regua
26 Pinchel
27 Santa Komba Dao
23 Santa Marta de Penagian
29 São João da Pescara
30 San Pedro do Sul
31 eyebrow
32 board
33 Tabuasu
34 Taruka
35 Tondela
36 Moncorvo Tower
37 Valpazos
38 Vila do Bispo
39 Vila Flor
40 Vila Nova de Foz Coa
41 Vila Real
42 Viseu
43 Wuzela
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
