Water was one of the key themes of the summit
The president of AMAL (Algarve Municipalities Association) has also hailed the impact of the Iberian Summit, held last week in Faro, describing it as an “important step” towards strengthening the Algarve’s water supply.
“We’re very pleased that, as part of this cross-border agreement, the 30 hectometres for the Pomarão water intake have been validated, as envisaged in the Water Efficiency Plan,” António Miguel Pina told Lusa news agency this week.
“This is an important measure that allows for a significant reinforcement of our water sources, as we had already foreseen in the Water Efficiency Plan for the Algarve under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR),” said Pina, also mayor of Olhão.
With the contract for the construction of the Algarve’s desalination plant already signed and this latest greenlight for the Pomarão water collection project, the president of AMAL believes that the Algarve has secured a “significant reinforcement” of its water sources.
However, this may still not be enough to meet the Algarve’s water needs, he recognised. “We need to assess whether these new sources associated with the reduction of losses and reuse are sufficient in a very unknown scenario due to climate change”.
Pina added: “We have to finalise the PRR projects that are underway, but we also have to start thinking about how we can give everyone in the region greater strength and peace of mind, be it in urban and tourist areas, or in economic activities, namely golf and agriculture, an activity that has been very strong in recent years,” he concluded.
Source: LUSA
