The measure was announced by the Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, at a press conference after a meeting of the Permanent Commission for the Prevention, Monitoring and Monitoring of the Effects of Drought (CPPMAES).

After the meeting, the 11th this year to discuss the drought situation on the continent and measures to minimise the effects, the ministers of Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes, and of Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, announced 11 more measures, in addition to another 82 that had already been taken in previous meetings.

The tariff increase, explained Duarte Cordeiro, should target consumers of more than 15 cubic metres of water, while the average consumption of a family is around 10 cubic metres.

Duarte Cordeiro explained that the tariff increase is intended for the 43 municipalities with the least water, adding that “nothing prevents other” municipalities from doing so. “I would recommend this measure to any municipality in the country,” he said.

For the 43 municipalities in the most critical situation, the Government, added Duarte Cordeiro, will also recommend restrictions on the use of water such as the temporary suspension of street washing or the irrigation of green spaces or the supply of decorative fountains, and also provides for a “sanctioning regime to penalise misuse of water”.

According to the list of municipalities, 40 are in the north and centre of the country and three in the Algarve. These are municipalities that have a water capacity of less than a year.

Regarding reservoirs with less than 20% of their capacity, the minister said, there will be closer monitoring and the various uses of water (use titles) of these reservoirs will be reviewed.