Faro, Portugal, Dec. 3, 2025 (Lusa) - The Algarve's dams are at an average of 72% of their capacity and have enough water to guarantee urban consumption for three to four years, the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) said on Wednesday.
José Pimenta Machado gave the Lusa news agency an update on the region's water reserves and warned that, although the Algarve recorded "the best situation in the last 10 years" in terms of stored surface water in November, it is important to remember that the drought is not over and that it is necessary to continue the "exemplary" efforts made to improve water efficiency.
When asked how long the Algarve has enough water to guarantee consumption, Pimenta Machado replied that reserves for urban consumption are assured for three to four years, even if the region has "very bad years", but he reiterated the need for efficient water management.
"We have to know how to manage water well to prepare for the coming years, which will certainly be years of drought and reduced rainfall. [...] Some sectors say that the drought is over, but it is not over at all. It is a temporary situation; we have been lucky now, but we have to prepare for the years to come," he explained.
At the moment, the water reserves of the six dams in the Algarve are, on average, at 72% of their capacity, which represents 322 cubic hectometres, with the Odelouca dam standing out, "which is fundamental for the barlavento [western] area and is at 77%".
The APA president pointed out that the main dam in the eastern area, Odeleite, is at 76%, which means that the two largest dams in the Algarve are "almost 80%" of their capacity "in the middle of the wet season" and when more rain is still expected throughout the winter.
José Pimenta Machado also highlighted the volume of water recorded at the Funcho dam, located in the western region and one of the most affected by the drought, which reached 80% and is already discharging water.
"Storm Cláudia allowed us to recover 5%. On average, we went from 67% in the series of six reservoirs to 72%," the president of the Portuguese environmental agency added.
Pimenta Machado stressed that, with the data recorded in November, the Algarve region is in the "best situation ever in the last 10 years" in terms of water storage in dams.
"But we must never forget that in January 2024, we were in the worst situation ever. It wasn't that long ago," he countered, recalling that the Algarve then had "water for four to five months, no more," a situation that led the government to apply measures restricting urban consumption, agriculture and tourism in the region.
The APA president, therefore, defended the need to "continue to use water conscientiously" and to continue the work carried out in the Algarve to improve the region's water efficiency.
This work is an "example for the country and even at the European Union level". It must continue, he appealed, recalling that the drought left the region in a "very difficult period", which led to consumption restrictions being applied to the main sectors of activity, such as tourism and agriculture.
Although the region's dams are at 72% capacity, the recovery of groundwater bodies, such as aquifers, "has not been significant," he said.
"We need more rain, continuously, for the groundwater bodies to recover. They have, in fact, been greatly depleted during the drought," he said.
Pimenta Machado pointed to the Querença-Silves aquifer, the Algarve's main underground reserve, as an example, which has "very low values" and a level of "less than 20%" of its capacity, he warned.
MHC/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
