The leaks identified in the parishes of Salreu and Canelas allow salt water to enter agricultural fields, threatening rice crops and livestock farming. The situation worsens with spring tides, which is why Estarreja City Council will begin urgent repair work next Wednesday.
The floods of recent weeks have caused several ruptures in the structures that separate the fresh waters of the rivers from the salty waters of the Ria de Aveiro, in the municipality of Estarreja. Rice producers and livestock farmers fear that water from the estuary will invade their fields and prevent sowing.
The fields were flooded for several days in the municipality of Estarreja.
It is only now that the water level is falling that the damage in the parish of Salreu and Canelas has become visible
The survey of the damage caused by the floods is still being carried out by parish councils and farmers in the Baixo Vouga lagoon.
In another hole, you can see fresh water coming from the Vouga River entering the salty bed of the ria.
When the tide rises, in the Ria, the water will go the other way, taking salt water to the fresh water and to the agricultural fields, which will become contaminated with salt.
The situation will become more serious when spring tides arrive, hence the urgency in recovering these structures.
The priority interventions, under the responsibility of the Estarreja council, will begin next Wednesday.
This first phase of the work should take at least three weeks.
