“Just last night, the level of the [Odeleite] dam rose by around two metres due to the heavy rainfall and, even for dam safety reasons, the floodgates have to be opened”, said Teresa Fernandes.

The start of the discharge from the dam, the most important in the eastern Algarve, is scheduled to take place today, with the ideal time for the operation being calculated “to the minute”, which has already led to some changes to the scheduled time.

The Beliche Dam, located in the same municipality in the district of Faro, downstream from Odeleite, should also be subject to this operation, as water levels are also very high, he added.

The Beliche Dam is connected to the Odeleite Dam by a tunnel, which is now closed, and is also practically full, so the discharge could occur in the next few days, said Teresa Fernandes.

The two dams are currently at around 90% of their capacity, with Odeleite at 94% of its capacity and Beliche at 89%, according to data from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).

According to the spokesperson for the company that manages the Algarve's multi-municipal water supply and sanitation system, the Odelouca Dam, in the western Algarve, also rose by around two metres overnight.

According to data from the APA, the six reservoirs that supply the Algarve region had 71% of their total storage capacity on Monday 17 March.

The Arade dam, also in the western Algarve, is the one with the lowest water levels (20%), receiving water from the Funcho reservoir, which is at 75% of its capacity.

The Bravura Dam, also on the western side of the region and which recently had only 15% capacity, is now at 43%.

Last Friday, the Government announced, in Faro, that restrictions on water consumption in the Algarve will be eased, applying to all sectors, with the imposition of 5% reductions on agriculture, the urban sector and tourism.