Portugal invests on desalination to increase water sources
29/03/2023
The immediate plan involves three centers in the country that want to increase their “climate diplomacy”, water cooperation with CPLP and alliances in favor of policies and regulation of services.
Transforming seawater into drinkable water could be a strategic solution for Portugal to face the increasingly intense droughts in the country. The year 2022 was one of the hottest in history, according to Portuguese authorities.
To enable access to the resource, three desalination plants are in the government’s sights, as reported by the Portuguese Secretary of State for the Environment. Hugo Pires spoke to ONU News, in New York, after the Water Conference, which ended on the 24th.
Less rain
“Portugal is a country at the forefront of climate change. For example, last year, as long as there have been measurements, was one of the years with the least precipitation. This brought us problems of extreme drought across the country. We have been creating hydrological plans by regions. For now, we have prioritized the regions where we are intervening. They have been the first to receive special attention, such as the Algarve, Alentejo and the Tagus Basin.”
The Portuguese areas that suffer most from drought and water scarcity have a Recovery and Resilience Plan with funding from the European Union.
“We have planned the desalination plant in a highly resilient plan, which is also supported by European funds. The implementation of a desalination plant in the Algarve is under this European fund. And then, we also have two more planned: one of them in Sines in a large industrial project. The desalination plant is now a resource that can help in many places. Not only in Portugal, but in other places, so that people can have access to water to live their lives.”
Extreme events
For the Secretary of State for the Environment in Portugal, one cannot wait to act for access to the resource. These efforts also depend on cooperation with other countries, including Portuguese-speaking countries.
Hugo Pires revealed Portugal’s commitment to “climate diplomacy” to face increasingly difficult access to the resource, help in the global response to migration caused by the climate crisis and prevent conflicts.
“We cannot deny that climate change is there. That the future is increasingly unpredictable and that extreme droughts and floods will occur more and more. Therefore, if we are better prepared, we will be better able to respond to these problems.”
In Portugal, in the last 20 years, rainfall has decreased by around 15% in the country. The forecast is that the loss of water volumes will continue and the drops will be between 10% and 25% by the end of the century.
Coherence of work on access to water
Changing rainfall patterns reduce flow into rivers, dams and aquifers. To reduce consumption and increase the efficient use of water, the country wants to preserve sources, encourage care at home and in areas such as agriculture and return rivers and seas to better conditions.
As for reuse, by 2025, Portugal wants 10% of all water to be treated for purposes such as irrigating crops, golf courses or cleaning streets, applying circular economy principles.
To increase efforts and commitments in this regard, the country wants to improve financing and create institutions for good governance and regulation.
At the meeting, Portugal joined the countries requesting a United Nations special envoy for Water for better coordination and coherence of work on the resource and “giving to water the voice it lacks.”
The Portuguese government says it is committed to promoting a global alliance on better policies and regulation of water and sanitation services, for better management of access at local, regional, national and transnational levels.