MADRID – After a year marked by drought, the governments of Portugal and Spain have agreed to work together to fight the drought in rivers they share.
The decision was adopted at a meeting in Lisbon by the Commission for the Application and Development of the Albufeira Agreement (CADC). That was after the Portuguese-Spanish summit on November 4, the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge reported.
Working conditions established
During the meeting, the present top officials had to implement one of the commitments made by both countries at that summit. Furthermore, they had to establish the working conditions of the Permanent Technical Secretariat of the CADC. In this way they facilitate continued cooperation at the Iberian level.
Joint management of the shared basins
This cooperation mainly concerns water management and hydrological planning of shared basins. The operating conditions agreed upon in Lisbon will now be submitted to the governments of both countries.
Furthermore, the mandate of the Working Group on Water and Energy has also been analysed. This was set up at the Portuguese-Spanish Summit. And the Action Program of the Working Groups of the Convention for 2023 has been presented.
As agreed, the countries will make progress next year in work aimed at harmonising the drought and scarcity indicator systems of both states.
Intensification of monitoring mechanisms
In addition, both countries have defined the implementation of the Protocol for the exchange of information on hydrometeorological data for dealing with extreme situations. They agreed to intensify the monitoring mechanisms of flow regimes and extreme phenomena.
Two top officials attended the meeting in Lisbon. The first was Teodoro Estrela. He is the General Director of Water of the the Ministry of Ecological Transition of Spain. The second was Lénia Real, the Portugese President of the Commission for Buondaries and Luso-Spanish Hydrographic Basins.
The main rivers that Spain and Portugal share are the Duero/Douro and the Tagus/Tajo and Guadiana.
Also read: Drought in Spain threatens milk and olive oil production
