Dry: March rains saving agriculture, maintains president of the federation of farmers.
Rainfall three weeks took the country out of extreme drought. Levels of the dams are recovering, but farmers demand more capacity for irrigation. Alqueva is with 97,8% the maximum capacity.
The president of the Federation of the Alentejo Farmers' Associations, Rui Garrido, maintained that “no one imagined it could rain so”, while the president of Portalegre District Farmers Association, Fermelinda Carvalho, stresses that “no one remembers such a terrible situation”.
Nuno Rodrigues, creator of cows in the Mirandese Plateau, Tras-os-Montes, vents that “if it had not rained in March would be the end of the world”, it's all said.
A Work Of The News Journal (JN) on the volume of water in the basins of the reservoirs in Portugal, according to figures disclosed by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), “there was a growth in volumes stored during the month of March, compared to the previous month”.
That 60 reservoirs monitored by APA, in February only five had a higher availability to 80% do volume total, but in March, they were already 33, those that exceeded that value, as was the case of Alqueva.
in Purple, reservoir from which it is made the public water supply to the populations of the municipalities of Beja and Aljustrel, its capacity is less than half, 47%. worrying situations live up supports the APA, in Campilhas, Fonte prices, Monte da Rocha, Purple, Caia and Vigia.
Development of volumes stored in percent, between late February and late March, dams in the Alentejo.
Tagus basin: Apartadura / Marvão (71%/ 99%), Divor / Arraiolos (7%/ 39%), Maranhão / Avis (22%/ 88%), Montargil / Ponte de Sor (49%/ 87%) and Varzim / Castelo de Vide (42%/ 73%)
Sado Basin: Alvito/Alvito-Cuba (62%/ 83%), Campilhas/Santiago do Cacém, (4%/ 24%), Serne source / Santiago do Cacém (29%/ 39%), Monte da Rocha / Ourique (8%/ 26%), Odivelas / Ferreira do Alentejo (42%/ 55%), Purple / Aljustrel (32%/ 47%) and Valley Gaio / Alcacer do Sal (12%/ 66%).
the Guadiana basin: Abrilongo / Campo Maior (14%/ 70%), Alqueva / Portel-Moura (66%/ 97%), fall (/Elvas (18%/ 60%), Lucefecit/Alandroal (19%/ 97%), Monte Novo / Évora (29%/ 91%9 Watch and / Redondo (15%/ 41%).
Mira Basin: Santa Clara / Odemira (52%/ 66%).
Concerning the Alqueva dam is the quota 148,78, a maximum of 152 meters, with a volume of 3.434,77 hectometres, com a albufeira a poder armazenar 4.150 hectometres, historical level reached for the first time in 10 February 2010.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
