Lisbon, May 19, 2026 (Lusa) - The head of Portugal's environmental agency (APA), José Pimenta, said on Tuesday that reservoirs in Portugal were in their best-ever situation, with an average storage level of 92%, while the environment minister said the summer situation would be comfortable.

"We are in the best-ever situation. We have never been like this. The reservoirs are literally full. The Bravura reservoir in the Algarve, which Portuguese people know for having no water, is at 99%," he said on Tuesday during the presentation of the report on aquifers and strategic water reserves, which took place at the agency.

"The succession of storms caused a lot of damage, but it brought one good thing, which was recovering our reservoirs and aquifers. Now we will manage and monitor them," he added.

Favourable reservoir levels allowed the agency to lift restrictions on licencing new groundwater extractions, except at the Campina de Faro aquifer in southern Portugal.

He explained that the agency would require automatic water consumption reports from large-scale users to enable continuous monitoring.

He added that users would send these reports via telemetry, in line with current practices in the Algarve region.

Portugal’s environment minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, also attended the presentation of the latest hydrographic data and explained that "the situation in the reservoirs is comfortable for the summer, for human consumption, and for agriculture, industry and tourism."

Despite the positive scenario, the environment minister said that people must use water moderately.

"We must be aware that rainfall can drop suddenly, and current indications show we will face a difficult summer," she said.

RCV/LYT // ADB.

Lusa