TIAGO PETINGA/LUSA
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho
Intense rain and sea disturbances; Maria da Graça Carvalho admits that the Government has “huge concerns” about the dams.
Its passage through mainland Portugal on Wednesday left a trail of destruction, causing at least five deaths. The situation has calmed down since Thursday but will worsen from Sunday onwards.
A Minister of the Environment warned this Saturday, during a visit to the affected areas of Alcácer do Sal, Setúbal, about one of the weather conditions next week, expressing concern about the North and Center regions of the country.
“We are mainly concerned with the North and Center, and also the Tagusmore than here [Alcácer do Sal]here it will also rain and there will also be problems, but there it will rain a lot”, declared the Minister of the Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, adding that in addition to the intense rainfall, There is another phenomenon, which is the maritime unrest.
Given the forecast of extreme rain, the Ministry of the Environment and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) have been carrying out downloads preventive measures in dams for more than 15 days, the main objective being to reduce the “volume [das barragens] to accommodate the heavy rainfall that comes next week.”
“We have been doing this for several weeks now, in coordination with Spain and the hydroelectric plants, whom we thank for accepting our requests to collaborate in these preventive discharges and, therefore, we have a huge concern in relation [à segurança e capacidade das] dams”, explained Maria da Graça Carvalho.
The governor showed great concern for the regions of Mondego, Douro, Águeda and Tagus.
Maria da Graça Carvalho appealed also to citizens residing in vulnerable areas to remove goods, animals and vehicles from areas “susceptible to flooding”, following Civil Protection guidelines.
On the coast, the minister guaranteed that damage to banks, bridges and dams will be identified by APA for later replacement through program contracts.
The recovery effort is being coordinated across the board.
Accounts about Kristin
According to the minister, the Minister of Economy, Manuel Castro Almeida, is meeting with the mayors of the municipalities affected by the Kristin depression to outline support for economic damage and loss of income in commerce.
The Minister of Agriculture, José Manuel Fernandes, is assess losses in the sector.
Asked about the request from the municipality of Alcácer do Sal for the declaration of the State of calamity, request also already formalized by Marinha Grande, the minister referred the decision to the Council of Ministers, stating that “the margins are being disseminated to the entire Government”.
In addition to the Alentejo municipality, the Marinha Grande Chamber also asked for a state of calamity to be declared in the municipality.
