“This is very important work because the climate is changing. Either we have too much water, or we have droughts, and we have to prepare the country for these situations. Currently, approximately 700 kilometres of waterways are being rehabilitated until 2026, with the goal of reaching 3,400 kilometres of rehabilitated rivers and streams, where €150 million will be invested by 2030,” said José Pimenta Machado to Lusa news agency.

According to the president of the APA (Portuguese Environment Agency), the investment in the rehabilitation of waterways is part of the “Pró Rios” project, utilizing various EU funds and the Environmental Fund, among others.

“It all has to do with the rehabilitation of ecosystems through work that has never been done in the past and now it is to be carried forward,” emphasized Pimenta Machado.

In August, regarding the rehabilitation of waterways, the Ministry of Environment and Energy announced the following intervention priorities: the rehabilitation of the Neiva River in Esposende and Viana do Castelo; the recovery of the Picote stream in Miranda do Douro; the enhancement of the Vez River in Arcos de Valdevez; the rehabilitation of the Díz and Noéme rivers in Guarda; and the restoration of the Alfusqueiro River in Águeda.

The list also includes the enhancement of the Lizandro River in Mafra; the recovery of streams in Évora and Beja; the rehabilitation of the weir system in Arronches; works in the Alentejo Litoral region; and the project to requalify the Vascão stream in the Algarve, over a length of 60 kilometers.