The Portuguese Environment Agency says he will start working on the study of the surveillance model and flood prevention and advise that It is important to prevent with territorial planning. For now, the study will be for Mondego, but the objective is to expand it to the largest river basins.
The Portuguese Agency of the Environment (APA) says that the floods recent days are unprecedented. For such contributed the seven storms that hit the country and left many areas flooded. A region next to the Mondego river was one of the most affecteds e, Therefore, the Government says who is already working post-crisis.
“We ask APA to join together with the greatest experts of the moment to look at Mondego’s physical infrastructure system and see if it is actually adapted to today’s conditions,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, Minister of Environment and Energy.
The order, published this Wednesday, also determines the evaluation of the surveillance model and flood prevention.
The Portuguese Environment Agency says he will start working on the study now and warns that It is important to prevent with territorial planning.
“The first priority is prevention, it’s a lot about territorial planning, then it’s protection, building dams where they make sense to minimize floods” stated José Carlos Pimenta Machado, president of APA.
For now, the study will be for Mondego, but the objective is to expand it to the largest river basins.
Regarding the damage caused by Storm Kristin, a menvironmental minister regrets that there are still thousands of people without electricity in the center of the country. Another concern of the Government is the coastal erosion, which will require interventions along the entire coastline.
“Portugal made many mistakes in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and it is difficult to resolve because these homes contain families. Our recommendation, and the APA is also an authority on this matter, is that in risk areas on the coast, water domain and flood beds there cannot be reconstruction”, he states Maria da Graça Carvalho.
It should be remembered that, in the municipality of Almada, andm São João da Caparica, a collapse forced 30 people to leave their homes and, in Porto Brandão, 500 people were removed from their homes at risk of collapse.
