Eight councils in the Alqueva Gulf area and the Alentejo Regional Tourism Authority (ERT) aim to help review the management plan of dams. They find the current plan inadequate and extremely restrictive.
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Marta Prates (PSD), the mayor of Reguengos de Monsaraz spoke to a news agency in the district of Évora. There she highlighted that the POAAP (Alqueva and Pedrógão Reservoirs Management Plan) is outdated. The document was created in 2002 and now it’s 22 years old. He said that.
It is the only instrument that exists for the management of this water resource, which is Alqueva. However, 22 years later, things have changed and municipalities have realized that Alqueva has many potentialities that are not foreseen in the POAAP.
The mayor stated that the current plan is extremely restrictive from the point of view of the rules. The Council of Ministers approved its revision in 2006, but the plan did not advance. She also mentioned that the plan is not in line with reality, saying:
We [mayors] are all fully aware that water resources must be protected, so we are not putting that into question, but there is an economic potential that is not being properly explored.
Mayors Advocate for a Thorough Review
As Marta Prates has argued before, along with mayors from neighboring municipalities, she advocates for reviewing the POAAP. She believes this revision is necessary to address the needs of local authorities, tourism regions, and business people.
She also stressed the need for a thorough review and study. The mayor believes that everyone must clearly state their needs for the area. Her goal is to ensure that environmental parameters and guidelines for protecting the water resource are upheld and not overlooked.
She explained:
What is at stake is that we carry out a study that demonstrates our needs, so that the review can then be carried out and sent to the Council of Ministers.
Funding Issues and Government Discussions
Furthermore, she revealed that the study required for the review of the POAAP comes at a cost of 250,000 euros. This cost is delaying the process due to a lack of funds. Therefore, the eight chambers of the Gulf and Turismo do Alentejo want to participate with 100 thousand euros in carrying out the study.
In this regard, they took the proposal to Emídio Sousa, the Secretary of State for the Environment on the 6th of August, 2024. Marta further explained:
We are willing to pay 100 thousand of the 250 thousand euros for the study, for the review of the POAAP, in the desperation to unblock the process and replace the responsibility of the central State.
The mayor argued that the Government was made aware of the matter. It was agreed that there would be a new conversation very soon on this topic. Marta Prates said that:
It seemed to me that it could be this way and that, this time, we could unblock this issue.
The mayors want to revise the authorization plan for recreational and leisure areas. They have various reservations in the Reguengos de Monsaraz region. The plan allows only three places to have restaurants, bars, or tourist entertainment.
Additionally, it prohibits any activity in the half-kilometer protection strip from the shore. The councils believe that these restrictions are excessive.
