"These are very important interventions for the territory in order to reduce and avoid water shortages, a problem that is cyclical and increasingly aggravated by climate change," stressed the president of the organisation that brings together the 16 municipalities in the Algarve.

Showing his conviction that the Algarve's Regional Plan for Water Efficiency "will be implemented by 2026", the Olhão Mayor recalled that some of the measures contained in the plan come from proposals made by the various regional entities.

"These are essential measures to guarantee and increase water efficiency in the Algarve and, naturally, we welcome their inclusion in the Recovery and Resilience Plan," he concluded.

Placed in public consultation by the Government, on 16 February, the Recovery and Resilience Plan allocates a sum of 200 million Euros for the implementation of the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan.

According to the document, the complementary and articulated measures aim to ensure the necessary resilience to the effects of climate change: around 40 percent of the projects aim to increase water efficiency, 34 percent to improve drought adaptation processes, 15 percent to contribute to environmental objectives and 11 percent to improve articulation.

In this sense, plans will be implemented to reduce water losses in the urban sector, increase efficiency in the agricultural sector, increase the available capacity of reservoirs, promote the use of treated wastewater and the desalination of seawater.