The Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) of Alentejo and the Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company (EDIA) will meet on September 8 to prepare an application to the Regional Program to finance an in-depth study on the possible connection between the Tagus and Guadiana river basins. The announcement was made by Ricardo Pinheiro, president of CCDR Alentejo, to Rádio Campanário, during the Luz Fair/Expomor in Montemor-o-Novo.
The study desired by CCDR Alentejo is not limited to the engineering component. The objective is also to evaluate the economic impacts of a possible infrastructure and its effects on the transformation of the Alentejo territory. Ricardo Pinheiro argued that it is necessary to understand what results an investment of this magnitude can produce in different areas of the region.
One of the possibilities under analysis involves the transfer of approximately 150 cubic hectometers of water to the Guadiana system, which could represent an increase of more than 50 thousand hectares in the irrigated area supported by the Alqueva project. The proposal is framed within the national strategy "Water that Unites", which includes the study of the feasibility of a connection between the two basins, including a possible adduction between Nisa and Caia.
Despite the values and potential benefits mentioned, the transfer of water from the Tagus to the Guadiana remains in a preliminary study phase. There is currently no decision to execute the infrastructure. Ricardo Pinheiro highlighted that CCDR Alentejo does not intend to proceed alone and wants to extend participation to other entities. The meeting on September 8 will mark the beginning of a process that could lead, in the future, to the effective construction of the infrastructure.
