“Farmers are friends with the environment, There are no villains as some wanted them to present ”, The Minister of Agriculture said today, During the presentation of the “Water that unites” strategy to farmers and institutions in the Beja district sector.
At the session that took place at the headquarters of the Southern Acos-Agriculturers, in Beja, José Manuel Fernandes and left the message that “Alqueva is the self -europa of agriculture. Yields to the state 339 Millions of euros in tax revenue ”, reinforcing the importance that agricultural life around the large dam has in the national economy.
The strategy “water that unites” was presented in the last day 9 March by the Prime Minister, and in the district of Beja predicts among others the connection to the Algarve from the Pomarão (Mértola) and Alqueva to the Santa Clara Dam (Odemira) via the Monte da Rocha (Ourique). The alvito dam's alteration and increase capacity and the construction of two new reservoirs in the Rivers of Terges and Cobres (Beja) and Careers (Mértola) are considered essential for water reserves.
When placed before the fact that the PSD may not continue to govern Portugal and the program is on the way, José Manuel Fernandes was caustic for the previous PS government: “That they do not have the temptation not to do so. The fact that we have lost 8.300 million euros of PRR that had to be signaled until 31 August 2023, besides having dismantled the Ministry of Agriculture ”, accused.
Also speaker at the session, Maria da Graça Carvalho, Minister of Environment and Energy, natural de Beja, justified that the works of the streams of terges and covers and careers, were marked before the agreement with Spain on the management of aquifer resources.
"The 60 hectometres (hm3) that Spain lets use, 30 hm3 are for Pomarão and the others 30 HM3 will be available to Alqueva for the connection to Santa Clara and to strengthen the Ecological Flow of Guadiana with water retention in the two new dams ”, justified the minister.
Graça Carvalho also added that the intervention in Pomarão is more expressive, allowing “rehabilitation of the banks of the Guadiana for a greater benefit to the populations in the water supply chapter in localities of the municipality of Mértola and also for the navigability of the river”, finished.
The rulers reinforced the idea that it is not the financial resources the biggest challenge to comply with the strategy, but the “approval of projects that should not take eternity to complete them”.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
