Portugal and Spain discuss measures to counter drought The mechanism for quarterly monitoring of the flows from the rivers Minho, Lima, Douro, Tagus, and Guadiana will now be[...]

The 23rd Plenary of the Commission to Apply and Develop the Albufeira Convention (CADC) on the rivers shared by Portugal and Spain was held today, via videoconference. The Portuguese delegation was headed by Lénia Real, Chair of the Ministry of Foreign Affair's Portuguese-Spanish Hydrographic Boundaries and Basins International Committee, and the Spanish delegation by Teodoro Estrela, Director-General for Water of the Ministry of Environmental Transition.

This Convention was signed in 1998 and the aim is to reinforce the cooperation between these countries for the protection and sustainable use of waters from the Portuguese-Spanish shared hydrographic basins of the rivers Minho, Lima, Douro, Tagus, and Guadiana.

Given the rise of extreme weather events, the drought that has hit the Iberian Peninsula was one of the main themes addressed at the meeting, which was held in a setting of great cooperation and dialogue.

In this way, and under the mechanisms set by the Albufeira Convention, an intensifying of the bilateral articulation operational instruments was agreed on, such as the mechanism for the quarterly monitoring of the river flows, which will now be done monthly.

For a more structuring action in the medium and long term, the Working Group on Droughts and Floods was tasked, and it will be made operational at once. This group's main mission is to foster a better exchange of information, to implement common methodologies to calculate drought and scarcity rates, and implement the coordination pf the National Plans for Managing Flood Risk.

We also highlight the approval of the Protocol for exchanging hydrometeorology data in real time to manage extreme situations in the shred hydrographic basins, which should enter into force during the current hydrological year 2021/2022.

The need to reinforce the work between the two countries in hydrological planning and managing flood risks was also addressed, as well as the development of joint projects in the new European funding programming cycle.

More information on the Albufeira Convention and the activities of the Commission to Apply and Develop the Albufeira Convention can be found at www.cadc-albufeira.eu.