Measures to include “specific programmes to increase use of treated wastewater”
Portugal’s AD government intends to develop plans and reforms in the water sector that include digitalisation, a revision of the Water Law, loss reduction programmes and specific programmes to increase the use of treated wastewater (an area in which Portugal currently lags a long way behind many other European countries).
The measures are part of the draft bill for the government’s Major Options, which entered parliament yesterday and defines main political guidelines for 2024-2028.
In the area under the ministry for the environment and energy, water-related measures stand out, writes Lusa, citing the creation of a strategic plan – “Water that Unites” – plus the assessment of new “desalination needs”.
According to the proposal, waste generally will also be the subject of measures, implementing “the operation of new specific waste streams in line with the principle of extended producer responsibility“, and updating the Strategic Plan for Bio-waste, creating conditions for selective collection and its enhancement to be made operational throughout the country.
In the area of the environment, the government is committed to achieving carbon neutrality “by 2050 – ideally by 2045″, which indicates a step back from commitments of the previous Socialist executive.
On September 20 last year, at the United Nations in New York, the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the presence of the then minister for the environment, Duarte Cordeiro, said that “Portugal has decided to bring forward total carbon neutrality by five years to 2045”. The date was later reaffirmed by the then government.
The document presented yesterday highlights proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, to reduce the number of people without the capacity to keep their homes warm, and to increase the proportion of journeys made by bicycle.
The government also wants to create the Action Programme for Coastal Resilience 2025-2040, in a context of increasing incidences of extreme weather events, as well as creating a programme for the restoration and revitalisation of estuary areas, in addition to concluding the coastal programmes (POC).
Drawing up the National Nature Restoration Plan and rewarding local councils that contribute most to the fulfilment of Portugal’s environmental objectives are also proposals in the Government’s Major Options.
In the area of climate action policies, the government emphasises the importance of ensuring that most local authorities have Municipal Climate Action Plans.
LUSA
