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The president of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) has considered that the water commitments signed last week between Portugal and Spain “are an important step to guarantee” the reinforcement of water supply in the region.

(The Portugal News) "The quantity of water stored in river basins decreased in almost the entire country, including in the south of the country, according to the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH)."

The Spanish region of Andalusia, on the border with the Alentejo and Algarve, is experiencing an "extreme situation" of drought, according to the president of the autonomous government, who has asked for European help and insisted on water transfer from Portugal.

The regional president of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, has defended that water transfer could be a solution to combat the impact of drought and added that he is working with Portugal in this regard.

The rain recorded in the Algarve may give the feeling that the drought will be resolved, but the reality of a gradual drop in rainfall and reserves shows that the region is in a process of desertification, warned a researcher.

The Council of Ministers will approve today the extension of the zero VAT measure on some food products considered until the end of the year, according to António Costa.

The announcement was made by the Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, after a meeting of the commission to monitor the effects of the drought, when a third of the country, especially in the Alentejo and Algarve, is experiencing severe and extreme drought.

Fresh hake (67 percent) and broccoli (47 percent) saw the
biggest increases in prices between March 1 and August 31, while courgette saw the biggest drop in cost (-23 percent).

The vice president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has warned that 70% of the water that Portugal consumes comes from Spain through international rivers. However, the flows are decreasing, which is reflected in the water that reaches the country, reports Público.

National producers already admit food rationing, with price increases of 20% to 30% in the coming days. “We are in a food emergency situation like I don't remember having lived through”, Eduardo Oliveira e Sousa, president of CAP, told Expresso.

The Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGADR) is monitoring the effects of the drought on hydro-agricultural projects and triggering contingency plans in the most affected areas.

More than half of the country's reservoirs were over 80 percent of capacity at the end of April but four had less than 40 percent of total volume, data released by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) indicates.

The Algarve’s dams only have enough water available to last until the end of the year, if there is no significant rainfall over the next few months, the Permanent Drought Monitoring Commission revealed in its most recent report.
According to the group, “it can be said that, at the end of June 2020, the situation in terms of availability of surface water in the water sources of the Algarve Multi-municipal Water Supply and Sanitation System (SMAASA), associated with management measures and strategies implemented, allow only to ensure the estimated consumption for the rest of the calendar year of 2020.

(The Guardian) "Emergency crews battle to reinforce defences around Wrocław in Poland amid devastating rainfall"

A total of 20 new measures to rehabilitate water supply systems in nine municipalities in the Algarve, with a value of 16.8 million euros, have been approved today, according to the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL).

The Portuguese Environment Agency hopes to present a contingency plan this month with new water consumption rules for the Algarve, which is experiencing the worst drought on record.

The regional president of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, has defended that water transfer could be a solution to combat the impact of drought and added that he is working with Portugal in this regard.

The increasingly serious drought situation in the Algarve today led political leaders in the region to defend the carrying out of studies for the construction of a second desalination plant and the transfer of water from the North.

Around 20 people from various environmental associations, gathered in Porto to say “enough with eucalyptus” and to demand the reforestation of native trees to stop desertification, drought, loss of biodiversity and fires.

Portugal is removing VAT from the price of basic food items and increasing support for producers, to help consumers and manufacturers cope with the growing inflation and interest rates.
The government signed the deal with the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED), and the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers (CAP) to put the new measures into play.

Cooking oil and poultry registered the biggest price changes in food products since February, according to INE data, while the price of fruit rose 13.7% in the last six months.

Ce mercredi 23 mars, la Commission européenne présentera sa feuille de route pour renforcer la sécurité alimentaire de l’Union européenne face à la guerre en Ukraine. Selon l’hebdomadaire Expresso, la situation devient critique au Portugal, qui va assister prochainement à une escalade vertigineuse des prix des denrées de base.

Experts warn that the absence of significant rainfalls in the coming months will degrade water quality and strain irrigation-dependent crops, including some olive groves.

A dry and hot May in Portugal has helped to push some areas of Portugal into situations of drought.

The southern region of mainland Portugal registered an increase in the area of ​​meteorological drought at the end of May, with Baixo Alentejo and Algarve experiencing moderate drought and some places with severe drought, according to IPMA.

The future is dry in the Iberian Peninsula, warned the environmental organization ANP / WWF on 22 March, with a report in which it defends more collaboration between Portugal and Spain to manage rivers and water availability