Despite the rain in the last days of October, the dams in the Algarve or those that supply the Algarve had (almost) all less water on the last day of last month, compared to the last day of September.
According to the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH), the only exception is the Funcho dam, located in the Arade river basin, which had 35,4% of its capacity, just 0,3% more than the previous month.
Thus, the Bravura Dam, which continues to be the red lantern of all the reservoirs in Portugal, it ended the month with only 12,6% of its capacity (14,2% in September), Arade with 17,2% (18,3% in September), Odelouca with 32,2% (34%), Beliche with 22,2% (23,5%) and Odeleite with 28,8% (30,4%).
The Santa Clara reservoir, located in Alentejo, but important for irrigating the Algarve part of the Mira irrigation perimeter, in the municipality of Aljezur, suffered a slight drop from 37,4% in September to 37,1% now.
As for the Alqueva dam, on the Guadiana, also in Alentejo, it had 79,3% of its capacity on 31 October, compared to 79,5% on the last day of September.
Although these numbers are not encouraging, the truth is that most of the reservoirs in the Algarve and southern Alentejo now have more water than in the same month last year.
Even the Bravura dam, in the interior of the municipality of Lagos, where it seems that it hardly rains anymore, still rose from 7,6% in October 2023 to 12,6% now.
Odelouca (with 32,2%), on the other hand, now has 8,2% more water than in October last year, when it only had 24% of its capacity filled.
Data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH), which Sul Informação consulted, indicate that, at a national level, on the last day of last October, «and compared to the last day of the previous month, there was an increase in the volume stored in seven river basins and a decrease in five».
Of the 61 monitored reservoirs, “11 have water availability greater than 80% of the total volume and 15 have availability less than 40% of the total volume”, adds the SNIRH.
October storages by river basin are higher than the October storage averages (1990/91 to 2023/24), except for the Mira basins (where the Santa Clara dam is located), Ribeiras do Algarve (Bravura) and Arade (Arade, Funcho and Odelouca).
Data by river basin:
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