Minister says investment is “crucial step towards facing challenges imposed by drought”
Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Energy has approved a €5.2 million investment to improve the Algarve’s water resilience.
In other words, the money will be used to “strengthen the region’s water infrastructures” and promote a “more efficient management of water,” the ministry explains in a statement to the press.
The project, which will be executed by regional water company Águas do Algarve and is funded by the Environmental Fund, is divided into several investments, the largest of which will be €4 million allocated to new groundwater extraction points and the rehabilitation of existing public wells, with the goal of strengthening the public water supply system.
Another €700,000 will go toward temporarily increasing the workforce responsible for managing these water sources, ensuring both “efficient operations and strict quality control.” Additionally, €500,000 will go to rehabilitating the Castro Marim sanitation network, “reducing water loss and improving the overall efficiency of the system.”
The initiative has a clear timeline, with the first phase of construction expected to be completed by December 2024, followed by the second phase in March 2025, with construction due to be fully completed by December 2025. Throughout this period, Águas do Algarve will be responsible for providing progress updates and a final report, detailing both the “physical and financial outcomes of the project, along with clear indicators of its success.”
“This investment which I gave the green light to is a crucial step towards facing the challenges imposed by drought situations, which have affected the Algarve,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, Portugal’s Minister of Environment.
“This government aims to ensure that the region’s water infrastructures are strengthened and that water management is carried out in an efficient way, guaranteeing sustainable and continuous supply to the population”, the minister added, stressing that this “financial effort is a clear example of how the government, through the Environmental Fund, is committed to supporting initiatives that ensure the protection of our water resources and the well-being of communities.”
