The Alqueva reservoir has already transferred this year 100 million cubic meters of water for another seven dams, we districts of Beja, Evora and Setubal, Drought, revealed today the president of the management company.
Estes 100 million cubic meters is the total transferred until the end of August, advanced the president of the Development and Infrastructure Company of Alqueva (EDIA), José Pedro Salema.
According to the official, the volume of water transferred this year to other dams has more than tripled compared to last year, because, in 2021, had been provided “about 30 million†of cubic meters.
The water from the Alqueva dam has already reached the Odivelas reservoirs this year (Ferreira do Alentejo), Purple (Aljustrel), Fonte prices (Santiago do Cacém), Morgavel (Sines), lookout (Redondo), Monte Novo (Évora) and Enxoé (Serpa).
Beyond these reservoirs, Alqueva also supplied water to the channel called Alto-Sado, which originates from the Monte da Rocha dam, located in the municipality of Ourique, district of Beja, but which serves the area of ​​the Alentejo coast.
The Purple Dam, whose water is used for irrigation and public supply to the populations of the municipalities of Aljustrel and Beja, was the one that received the largest volume of water, in total 55,5 million cubic meters.
But this volume includes the water that passed through Roxo to the systems managed by the Association of Irrigators and Beneficiaries of Campilhas and Alto Sado. (ARBCAS) and by the company Ãguas de Santo André (AdSA), namely the Alto-Sado channel and the Fonte Serne and Morgavel dams.
Odivelas follow, with 35 million cubic meters of water, Morgavel, with 7,3 million, Fonte prices, with 2,8 million, lookout, with two million, Monte Novo, with 1,3 million, and Enxoé, with 1,2 million, while the Alto-Sado channel received nine million.
The president of EDIA recalled that, previously, Alentejo, “there was no irrigation campaign every year, why, in years of drought, the dams had no water to make availableâ€, but, with the connection of these systems to Alqueva, “this gap has been filledâ€.
“In a year like this, where dams started the year relatively low and where there were no conditions for an irrigation campaign, the operators of these systems ask us in advance and we supply waterâ€, pointed.
Emphasizing that “if there were no Alqueva, there was no irrigation campaign†this year in the region, José Pedro Salema stressed that the reservoir also provides “a guarantee of water for the public supply of the Alentejoâ€.
“Évora and Beja, the two largest cities in Alentejo, this year, are drinking water and bathing with water 100% from Alquevaâ€, He stressed.
On the other hand, according to the person in charge, the agricultural area served by Alqueva is “using more waterâ€, as this year is being “much drier than last yearâ€, besides having more cultures installed and others more developed.
"We verified that, last year, we spent around 300 million cubic meters and, this year, let's go 450 millions", said, predicting that, at the end of the current irrigation campaign, water costs are “close to 500 million cubic meters.
Asked about the current capacity of the Alqueva reservoir, the president of EDIA acknowledged that the water level has dropped, but considered that, even so, the dam is in “a very comfortable situationâ€.
“We are around quota 145â€, which means that, in height, “is seven meters below the maximum†and also “15 meters above the minimumâ€, he stressed.
Current capacity is around 65%, with a total useful water of 1.700 million cubic meters, he added.
At the end of this irrigation campaign, “after a year of droughtâ€, the water of the Alqueva “is enough, in theory, for two more years without limitationsâ€, stressed the president of EDIA.
the Alqueva, who celebrated in February this year the 20 years since the closing of the dam's floodgates and the beginning of the filling of the reservoir, already water 130.000 hectares and is expanding to benefit more 20.000.
News: Lidador NotÃcias / Green Savers with Lusa
