Alqueva to Add 110 hm³ Water for Farms, Towns and Industry

Alqueva’s giant reservoir will soon be asked to do more — feed parched crops, top up urban taps and cool factory processes — while promising that the Guadiana River will not be short-changed. Lisbon has just signed off on a reform that adds 110 hm³ of guaranteed water per year, starting next irrigation season, and locals from Évora to Faro are already recalculating their summer plans.

Snapshot of what is changing

• Annual cap rises from 620 hm³ to 730 hm³

• 100 hm³ extra for agriculture, 10 hm³ for towns and industry

• Permanent 120 hm³ drought reserve remains untouchable

• Real-time public dashboard of reservoir levels promised by EDIA and APA

Why the extra water matters under a drying sky

Portugal’s southern half has endured five drought alerts in seven years, pushing olive, almond and tomato producers to the brink and forcing municipalities to ration fountains. The Alqueva Multipurpose Project (EFMA) was designed 20 years ago as a buffer, yet climate models now predict up to 20 % less rainfall in the Guadiana basin by 2050. The new quota is intended to buy time for farmers to modernise irrigation and for cities such as Beja, Évora and Portimão to diversify supply. Without it, the National Water Resources Plan warned of €400 M in annual crop losses by decade’s end.

Breaking down the new quotas

Under the decree published in January, agriculture may now draw 690 hm³/yr, while public supply and industry share 40 hm³/yr. The numbers are modest next to Alqueva’s 4,150 hm³ storage capacity, but officials stress they reflect “environmentally safe” withdrawals during average hydrological years. A key clause forces progressive reductions if inflows lag behind the 30-year mean, ensuring the navigation channel, hydroelectric turbines and downstream wetlands keep minimum flows.

Safeguards: drought reserve and real-time monitoring

To calm fears of over-extraction, the government mandates a permanent reserve of 120 hm³, equivalent to three years of urban consumption in the Alentejo Central region. EDIA and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) must publish weekly, automated reservoir data — volume stored, water transferred between dams, and ecological releases. Civil-society group ProTejo calls this “a small revolution” after years of opaque PDF reports. The system will be backed by remote sensors, satellite imagery and an AI-assisted forecast model developed with IST-Lisboa.

Voices from the field, factory floor and city hall

• Rui Garrido, Alentejo Farmers Association: “Those 100 hm³ give us breathing space to shift from flood irrigation to precision drip lines without shutting orchards.”• Ana Mendes, cork-processor in Ponte de Sor: “Industry only asked for 10 hm³, but stable pressure in the public network saves us the cost of private boreholes.”• Nelson Brito, mayor of Aljustrel: “With the 120 hm³ shield, I can guarantee residents drinking water even if the next Niño year dries up the wells.”Environmental NGO Quercus remains cautious, warning that fertiliser runoff could rise unless tighter rules accompany the water boost.

Environmental checks on the Guadiana

The reform introduces a long-term estuary programme aimed at fish migration, sediment balance and salinity control. Funding will come from EU-NextGeneration funds and a €0.004/m³ environmental fee on every cubic metre taken for irrigation. Researchers at Universidade do Algarve will track eelgrass meadows as an indicator species, while the Iberian Lynx reintroduction team pushes for corridors that keep riparian zones intact.

Next on the drawing board: links to Sado and Algarve

Engineering studies are already under way to pipe surplus winter flows from Monte da Rocha to Santa Clara and eventually toward the Algarve via Pomarão. The concept: convert Alqueva into a southern water grid backbone, smoothing regional peaks without new mega-dams. Critics ask who pays the estimated €800 M price tag, but Lisbon argues the cost of inaction — shrinking tourism and job losses in horticulture — is higher.

Quick guide: how much is a hectometre cube?

A single hm³ equals 1 billion litres. The additional 110 hm³ could:• Irrigate 14,000 ha of olives for a full season• Supply 1 M residents with household water for one year• Fill 44,000 Olympic pools

Looking ahead

The Alqueva upgrade is no silver bullet; it buys Portugal time to re-tool farming, fix leaks and plant drought-tolerant species. But in a year when reservoirs from Trás-os-Montes to the Algarve sit below 60 %, an extra 110 hm³ feels less like a luxury and more like a strategic reserve for the country’s economic heartland.