The Alqueva Owners and Beneficiaries Association (APBA) issued a statement stating that “the Multiple Purpose Enterprise of Alqueva (EFMA) is in danger ”.
No document, a APBA, chaired by José Cavaco Rodrigues goes public “in defense of the legitimate rights of its irrigators and of all the commitments already made”, justifying that “it is with great concern” that they call attention to the new requests that are advancing in the field regarding the use of water in Alqueva.
APBA justifies that three possible diversions of water from the Alentejo reservoir are underway:
1- Bringing water to the Algarve through a catchment at Pomarão, which will only be viable by increasing the release of water from the Alqueva and Pedrógão reservoirs.
2- Allow Spain, increase and legalize the illegal capture existing in Pomarão. As the negotiations appear to be conducted by the Ministry of the Environment, is what will happen in the near future.
3- Increase the volume of water allocated to the Perimeter of Caia, through a catchment in the Guadiana upstream of Alqueva.
For the president of APBA, to the Government “it is not enough to reach the approximately two hundred thousand hectares to be irrigated by Alqueva with the volume of water foreseen for the one hundred and twenty thousand hectares initially approved”, justifying and recalling José Cavaco Rodrigues that “the success of this public investment”, never before achieved in the history of irrigation in Portugal, “It was only possible thanks to the investment also ensured by all of us, Alqueva irrigators, in record time", finished.
Cavaco Rodrigues maintains that for the Government “it does not seem to be enough” to ensure that the conditions foreseen for the Enterprise are maintained, “That justified our investments”, concludes.
According to APBA, no longer seems relevant to the government, “Guaranteeing the necessary water for the success of this great national project and for the success of the investments made”, leaving the doubt that “it seems to want more, without safeguarding the risks to the success of public and private investments already made ”, supports.
“I have no doubts that, if the government insists on not listening to the risks of these decisions for EFMA, this can only go wrong ”, accuses José Cavaco Rodrigues.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
