On April 9, Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho led the signing of 26 contracts-program with municipalities in the Tejo region to fund emergency works on rivers and dikes damaged by severe weather, prioritizing rapid restoration of safety and risk mitigation. Carvalho stressed immediate execution and the use of the calamity regime to speed procedures, saying the interventions are urgent and must be done now. The contracts, between the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Climate Agency and 26 municipalities (Abrantes, Alenquer, Almeirim, Alpiarça, Alvaiázere, Ansião, Azambuja, Benavente, Caldas da Rainha, Cartaxo, Chamusca, Golegã, Loures, Mafra, Nazaré, Óbidos, Ourém, Pedrógão Grande, Peniche, Ponte de Sor, Salvaterra de Magos, Santarém, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Torres Vedras, Vila de Rei and Vila Nova da Barquinha) represent an investment of about €9.4 million. The package forms part of a broader €35 million funded by the Environmental Fund, covering nearly 40 municipalities and benefiting more than 503,000 people; interventions focus on repairing holes, river cleaning, stabilizing banks, and rehabilitating damaged water infrastructure. Santarém, Almeirim and Azambuja account for the largest volumes, reflecting the extent of the damages. The works address immediate needs, while medium-term projects estimated at more than €200 million will be included in the Territorial Recovery and Resilience Plan. During a visit to a 40-meter hole in the dike at Vala Real da Azambuja, the minister noted that all municipalities had confirmed their capacity to act swiftly. Carvalho acknowledged exceptional pressure on the territory, calling this winter’s storms among the most demanding in decades, with record rainfall in Coimbra and effects on the Tejo comparable to the 1979 floods, and highlighted cross-border coordination with Spanish dams as decisive to avoid more severe consequences. She also identified adapting the territory to increasingly frequent extreme weather and strengthening infrastructure resilience as central challenges, including the reconstruction of small bridges and water systems, adding: 'We must prepare the country for floods, droughts, heat waves and fires.'
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