Rui Garrido, president of ACOS and the Organizing Committee of the 40th Ovibeja, in his opening speech at the fair, reflected on the problem of water resources in Baixo Alentejo and asked the Government for solutions “to capture more water reserves”.
“Without water there is no life, without water there is no biodiversity, without water there is no food production. Water scarcity leads to the abandonment of fields, the cessation of agricultural activity and the path to desertification”, highlighted the president, adding that the consequences of climate change “worsen with each passing year”.
In this way, he stated that the need for more water reservoirs in the South of Portugal becomes “evident”, with the option of “creating transfers”, “bringing water from regions to the north, where rainfall is much higher, to the South”.
“There will certainly be environmental, economic and social impacts to be assessed, but it is urgent to define a national and regional water resources policy for Portugal”, reinforced Rui Garrido.
He also spoke of the “need for more water for agriculture”, in what is an economic activity considered “fundamental” for Rui Garrido, “especially because the water in Alqueva is not unlimited”.
“It should be noted that the water quota set for agriculture at 590 hm3 must be revised, in order to cover the new irrigation blocks in the project, the transfer of water to pre-existing reservoirs in our region and other adjacent regions, and the inclusion of precarious irrigation, a problem that urgently needs to be resolved”, highlighted the president.
Luís Montenegro, Portuguese Prime Minister, responded to the president of ACOS, reflecting on the matter and assuming the need for “more management capacity” for water.
