Environment minister backs two new dams for water-stressed Viseu region

Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho said both the Fagilde and Girabolhos dams should be built, citing water stress around Viseu. Girabolhos would take seven years to build, so Fagilde, a smaller dam on the River Dão with double the capacity of the existing one, is the absolute priority and is meant to be ready by 2029 within the current EU funding period. Stopgap options are being studied, including reusing wastewater for industry and temporary links to nearby dams, so that tanker trucks are never needed again, as in 2017.