Portugal to invest €129 million in Mira river irrigation by 2030

AdP AQUA president Macário Correia presented details of the national "Água que Une" strategy at Odemira's 8th Colóquio Hortofrutícola, focusing on the Mira irrigation perimeter. The plan foresees €129 million by 2030 to modernise the Santa Clara dam's water supply system and irrigation blocks, plus a €27 million Alqueva-Mira interconnection and a €5 million new water intake at Santa Clara reservoir by 2032. Correia warned that major dam works increasingly face legal challenges from organised groups, predicting courts, not engineers, will ultimately decide which dams proceed. Other speakers praised Mira as a successful model but flagged gaps in political will, land planning and skilled labour in agriculture.