Monção bans basements and ground-floor bedrooms in flood zones

Portugal's Diário da República has published an update to Monção's municipal master plan (PDM) transposing flood risk management rules from the Minho-Lima river basin plan. In urban areas identified as flood-prone, new buildings can no longer include basements or ground-floor bedrooms below the defined flood level, and must resist flood damage without worsening flood risk. In very high and high danger zones, housing below flood level is banned outright, and buildings must withstand direct contact with floodwater for at least 72 hours. Post-disaster reconstruction rules also favour relocating destroyed buildings away from flood-risk areas where possible.