Speaking to Lusa, Osvaldo Gonçalves (mayor of Alcoutim) said that the situation in that area of the Algarve foresees great difficulties for the rest of the year, since water reserves which should only be consumed during the dry season, in summer, are already being used.

“We are advancing with the consumption of these reserves and, perhaps, jeopardizing some of these reserves for the future, which will deplete, both in terms of aquifers and in terms of animal feed, permanent meadows and spontaneous vegetation, which at the moment it is dry”, warned the mayor.

Osvaldo Gonçalves observed that, in Alcoutim, there is not a great deal of pressure in terms of irrigated agriculture or intensive herds, especially cattle, which consume the most water, and noted that, even in sheep and goats, the pressure is not very relevant.

Livestock producers and farmers who still exist in the municipality are already facing difficulties caused by the lack of rain and the drought, which is considered severe in some areas of the east Algarve, warned the mayor.