“This situation allows us to work with some peace of mind in executing ongoing projects to give greater resilience to the region,” Pimenta Machado told Lusa.

These numbers do not yet take into account the passage of depression Martinho this week, which caused “more wind than rain”.

The head of the APA stressed the need for the region to remain focused on executing projects already underway in the coming years, such as combating water losses in the current distribution network or accelerating the process of using water from the WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plants) to irrigate golf courses and gardens.

“This is a fundamental issue. It makes no sense to use the water we have to water golf courses or gardens,” insisted Pimenta Machado.

The president of APA also mentioned the ongoing projects to reinforce water storage, such as the construction of the desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira and the water capture work in Pomarão, in the municipality of Mértola (Alentejo), and the construction of a pipeline to the Odeleite reservoir, in the municipality of Castro Marim (Algarve).

As for the Barlavento (western) Algarve, a connection is being studied, via Santa Clara, in Alentejo, “to give greater resilience” to that side of the Algarve.

Other ongoing projects include the study of the possible construction of the Alportel dam or the project for the new Foupana dam.

“The Algarve is much calmer at the moment, but it is at this moment when it is calmer that we have to make good decisions to prepare ourselves for the years to come,” said the president of the APA.

Pimenta Machado said that the Algarve has stored an additional 200 cubic hectometres of water in recent months compared to last year, and now has reserves for “almost three years”.

As for the dams that until recently had less water, the Bravura dam is now at 49% of its capacity, when in December it was at 11%, and the Arade dam is at 58%, when a few months ago it was the only one in the country below 10%, said the APA director.

Pimenta Machado also said that the preventive discharges carried out in recent days at the Odeleite (97%) and Beliche (92%) dams should be suspended “very soon”.