The Minister of Agriculture and Sea, José Manuel Fernandes, visited on August 28 the modernization works of the Alvor Hydro-Agricultural Development, in the Alvor-Bravura Irrigation Perimeter, in the Algarve. The visit was attended by the president of CCDR Algarve, José Apolinário, vice-president Fernando Severino, the Director-General of DGADR José Eduardo Reis, the mayors of Portimão and Lagos, Álvaro Bila and Hugo Pereira, deputy Cristóvão Norte and the president of the Association of Irrigators and Beneficiaries of Alvor, Joaquim Messias Calado.
The intervention, funded by approximately 15 million euros through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, is considered one of the largest irrigation modernization works currently underway in the Algarve. The investment will allow reducing water losses in the system by approximately 60%, which equals savings of about 19 million cubic meters per year and potentially two million euros annually.
The first phase of the works includes the construction of a new reservoir, a pumping station and a filtration station, as well as the modernization of approximately two kilometers of the main carrier channel through the installation of closed conduits. The project also includes the installation of photovoltaic panels for energy efficiency. The infrastructure is associated with the Bravura Dam, built in 1958, and serves an irrigation perimeter originally designed for approximately 1800 hectares.
The minister defended that investment in irrigation modernization should be seen as a return and not an expense, highlighting that farmers are the best friends of the environment in water management. A second phase of modernization is planned, estimated at approximately 40 million euros. The intervention is part of the national strategy "Water that Unites" and the efforts to address the challenges of water scarcity and climate change in the Algarve.
