The Guadiana, like the Tagus, will have a minimum monthly flow after an agreement between the Portuguese and Spanish governments, according to Euractiv.
The agreement between the two nations on water flows in the Tagus and Guadiana rivers was signed on Wednesday at the 35th Portuguese-Spanish summit in Faro. The treaty aims to “guarantee the good condition of the estuary and the equitable distribution of the flows available for the use of both States.”
The joint statement reiterates previously announced commitments to regulate irrigation water drawn from the Alqueva reservoir by farmers in both countries. The environment ministers of the two countries announced the deal to establish a minimum daily flow at a meeting on 27 September in Aranjuez.
According to Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho, the agreement on irrigation water from the Alqueva reservoir would also allow progress on a Portuguese project to collect water from the Pomarão area to supply the Algarve.
The two governments also signed an agreement “that will make it possible to regulate professional and recreational fishing in the international section of the River Guadiana” at the summit on Wednesday. It guarantees equal conditions for fishing communities for Spain and Portugal “together with the protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity.”
