Vila Nova da Barquinha, Portugal, Feb. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - The flood alert level in the Tagus River basin was lowered on Monday from red to yellow after a sustained drop in water levels and the river's gradual return to its normal course, the Civil Protection Agency announced.
‘The special emergency plan for flooding has today been downgraded from red alert to yellow, given the sustained decline in water levels and the gradual return of the river to its normal course. However, there are still many constraints on roads and flooded areas,’ David Lobato, sub-regional commander of Civil Protection for the Médio Tejo region, explained to Lusa.
The decision to lower the alert level was made by the Santarém District Civil Protection Commission at 9 a.m., when most of the river was already within its usual bed, allowing planning for the recovery phase, although many areas remain flooded, particularly in Lezíria do Tejo.
According to SVARH data from 10:00 a.m., in Almourol, a reference point for discharges from upstream dams and tributaries, the flow rate stood at 2,284 m³/s. The Castelo de Bode (568 m³/s), Pracana (78 m³/s) and Fratel (1,596 m³/s) dams totalled 2,242 m³/s.
‘There are no criteria for remaining in the red or orange alert levels. The plan will remain at the yellow level for a few days because there are still many road closures and completely flooded areas. It is a maintenance phase, and we also want to alert the population that nothing is completely resolved and that we will still have a few weeks of recovery,’ explained Lobato.
On Sunday, at the end of the day, the commander anticipated a drop in the alert level, pointing out that ‘in the northern part of the district, the river was already practically within its bed,’ with only the south, in the Lezíria area, still to return to normal.
He recalled that the plan was activated on 24 January at yellow level and was raised directly to red on 5 February as a precaution, given forecasts of significant discharges from Spanish dams and persistent rainfall.
"Although we did not reach 10,000 m³/s, we decided to move to red level as a precaution. That night we reached 8,600 m³/s and, at 1:00 a.m. on the 6th, we recorded the maximum peak of this flood, with 9,057 m³/s in Almourol," he said.
Lobato highlighted coordination among entities and the behaviour of the population during the critical period, with no human casualties reported.
‘We did everything we had to do and in a timely manner. We provided civil protection, so to speak. We had no serious cases of people injured or similar situations,’ he concluded.
With the alert now at the yellow level, authorities are maintaining constant vigilance and urging caution as the recovery phase begins in the affected areas.
MYF/ADB // ADB.
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