The Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) highlighted the strengthened commitment of the Algarve2030 Regional Program to sustainable water management, with the receipt, by November 28, of 25 applications from municipalities and urban water cycle management entities and the company Águas do Algarve.

These applications represent a total investment of over €100 million, with an average co-financing rate of 60%, the CCDR stated in a press release.

In addition to co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Ministry of the Environment's Environmental Fund also "contributes part of the national counterpart funding for investments in loss reduction and prevention and mitigation of saline intrusion submitted by the municipalities," highlighted the CCDR (Regional Coordination and Development Commission).

Among the interventions foreseen in the applications are projects to reduce losses in urban water networks, rehabilitate obsolete infrastructure, prevent and mitigate saline intrusion, reuse treated wastewater for non-potable purposes, or expand and modernize sanitation networks, the regional commission specified.

"With an allocation of €66 million in European funds in the water sector under the Algarve2030 Regional Program, the municipalities of the Algarve and the company Águas do Algarve affirm this area as a strategic priority, promoting more efficient and resilient management of water resources, especially in the urban water cycle, from abstraction to reuse," emphasized the Algarve CCDR.

The regional body highlighted the contribution of these measures to the objectives of the water resilience strategy outlined by the European Union until 2030.

“These investments are also aligned with the commitments to climate resilience and ecological transition, digitalization and digital transition, reinforcing the region's capacity to adapt to environmental and demographic pressures, as well as mitigating the effects of climate change,” it emphasized.

The interventions foreseen include increasing the efficiency of the water supply and sanitation network, reducing losses, using treated wastewater for secondary uses (such as irrigating green spaces), and intelligent monitoring of water resources.