Tagus river still logs zero-flow days two years after pledge

Two years after Portugal and Spain pledged to end zero-flow days on the Tagus, data from Portugal's national water resources information system show the river still falls short. Between October 2025 and September 2026, flow at the Fratel reservoir was below the agreed daily minimum on 14 days, including 5 days of zero flow, with environmental groups proTEJO and ZERO saying the 2024 commitment remains unfulfilled. They warn that reliance on cumulative annual, quarterly and weekly volumes masks days of near-dry riverbeds, and criticise Portugal's newly approved €5 billion water strategy for prioritising new infrastructure over protecting and restoring rivers.