It is a certitude that the availability of drinking water is decreasing dramatically Portugal and that, although this problem affects everyone in general, it will be the most recent and future generations who will feel the impact of water scarcity the most. 

In the summer of 2023, 48% of Portugal was in a state of severe to extreme drought. In the municipality of Chaves alone, within the area of the Chaves-Verin Eurocity, it was necessary to supply water to 18 of the 123 localities in the municipality that were left without water in their homes. Around "one million and 700 thousand liters of water" had to be supplied - a figure lower than in 2022, when it was necessary to transport 10 million and 559 thousand litres of water by tanker to 55 of the 123 localities. According to information from the mayor, "half of these supplies are not related to scarcity but rather to issues related to ruptures, breakdowns or lack of quality parameters” (Observador journal, 30/08/2023).

There is a lack of awareness among the population, especially among young people, about this serious problem.  We must take action to change this behavior. 

First of all, it is necessary to raise awareness among young people around the difficulties of supplying water – especially drinking water – to the population. 

This could be achieved by promoting an awareness campaign among the school community of the Eurocity, informing young people and gaining their support for the adoption of good water management and preservation techniques.

As mentioned above, the issue of the enormous losses resulting from the many ruptures in the pipes, which has been identified as the reason for the loss of 49% of drinking water in the municipality of Chaves in 2023, is related to the lack of investment in the maintenance and modernization of water distribution networks in recent decades. Therefore, it is now urgent to correct the problem, taking the opportunity to introduce digital technologies to support the management and operational control of the quality of the water supply service in the territory. 

It is imperative to initiate a new phase of investment with community financing into water supply and wastewater treatment systems of the territory, accelerating interventions that put an end to the deterioration of the networks and the consequent loss and degradation of water quality. These investments should be cross-border, as water is a shared, renewable resource that knows no borders.

Therefore, there is a need to design an integrated solution for the water supply to citizens in the Tâmega River basin, which is shared by Chaves and Verin in the territory. A joint cross-border management structure should also be created to monitor water consumption and ensure an ecological flow to the Tâmega River and its tributaries during the summer season. However, to get young people to join forces and lend their energy to the defense of this vital resource, the Tâmega River must once again provide for recreational use. A use that captures the transformative energy of young people, providing them with the opportunity to practice water sports and leisure with a river beach on the Tâmega. To protect water is to defend life – we must not lose sight of this, no matter on which side of the border we reside.

Bibliography:

https://observador.pt/2023/08/30/seca-chaves-alerta-para-poupanca-porque-escassez-de-agua-e-problema-progressivo/ (Observador, 30/08/2023)