REPORT
Adapt to keep Alentejo from "drying out"
Published on October 23rd, 2015
In the Alentejo, intense droughts are an increasingly frequent phenomenon. Municipalities classified as NUTS II are alert to the impacts of climate change and study, at the present time, adaptation options. Clima@EduMedia introduces some of the possible measures.
“This year, in Portugal, we are having one of the most severe droughts on record. In a context of climate change, we will have to live with this phenomenon, which will become more intense and more frequent”, says João Andrade Santos of the Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB).
According to Tiago Capela Lourenço, researcher at the Centre for Climate Change Impacts Adaptation and Modeling (CCIAM) and responsible for monitoring the municipalities in the south of Portugal as part of the ClimaAdaPT.Local project, it is estimated that, in the Alentejo region, the average precipitation in depth will decrease by 30% by the end of the century.
“The decrease in precipitation will be felt especially in spring and summer, and agricultural and hydrological droughts might be experienced for several years”, indicates the researcher, explaining that “the rain will not be enough to keep the water in acceptable levels for human beings and their activities.”
Consequently, and according to Myriam Lopes, researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) of the University of Aveiro, water availability will decrease by 20% in inland counties. In fact, in addition to the decrease in precipitation, a temperature increase of approximately 5°C, until the end of the century, will condition water available in Alentejo (evaporation increases soil water loss, interfering in the water cycle). Throughout the Iberian Peninsula, there will be reduction of about 40% in the flow rate of rivers. “In Guadiana, for example, this may represent about 100m3 per second, which is very significant!”
Agriculture and Energy in adaptation
Odemira is one of the municipalities in Alentejo that is designing adaptation strategies. Droughts, heat waves and reduced water availability are among the main concerns. As stated by Luísa Silva, technician for the City Council Spatial Planning Sector, “the levels of the dam of Santa Clara, the main site of water supply, are falling and, for most of the county, there is no alternative.”
One of the main economic activities in this region of the country, agriculture, depends to a large extent on water resources. Adaptation options include solutions such as changing cultures or genetic modification. “The Atlantic cultures that require more water, like corn, for instance, may be gradually replaced by more resilient species, the so-called Mediterranean crops, like the grapevine”, mentions João Andrade Santos. “Another adaptation hypothesis is genetic manipulation to develop varieties of crops that are more resistant to drought and high temperatures”, he adds.
The energy sector needs to adapt as well. “The country relies heavily on water resources for hydroelectric energy production”, the CITAB researcher notes. Some dams are expected to lose electric production capacity, so “we should bet on photovoltaic energy, thus taking advantage of a generally warmer climate and with more sunny days”, he says.
On the other hand, the researcher from the University of Aveiro presents adaptation options that act upon the various stages of the water cycle. It is possible to implement measures to promote water infiltration in the soil, such as the creation of green areas and lakes in cities (compensating for waterproofing roads, buildings and underground networks). “To regulate the flow of rivers, infrastructures can be created such as dams and retention basins.” Furthermore, we can change consumption patterns and promote the efficient management of the demand. In addition to savings, we are also talking about, for example, “water collection on roofs to use as sewage waters.”
Green areas and water desalination among the options
“It is urgent to consider these issues in a preventive manner, in advance”, argues Myriam Lopes. Therefore, when predicting a situation of drastic reduction in water availability, “we must evaluate solutions such as the implementation of seawater desalination plants”, she points out.
In the Alentejo municipalities involved in the ClimaAdapt.Local project, in addition to measures like the improvement of the institutional capacity of municipalities and public awareness, “current options of cultivation and resource management are being assessed to understand their adequacy to expected climate change scenarios”, reveals Tiago Capela Lourenço.
In Odemira, something that was “not a priority”, climate change, has become a “topic for which we seek integrated responses that are focused on local reality”, highlights Hugo Pereira, technician for the City Council Geographic Information System sector.
At the moment, the municipality is studying alternative reinforcement systems of water supply, and will launch the project “Odemira Eficiente” (“Efficient Odemira”). Based on a protocol between the City Council and the Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa, the initiative aims to develop a joint and continuous research and evaluation of technologies and measures that are to be implemented on the municipality.
By: Isabel Pereira
According to Tiago Capela Lourenço, researcher at the Centre for Climate Change Impacts Adaptation and Modeling (CCIAM) and responsible for monitoring the municipalities in the south of Portugal as part of the ClimaAdaPT.Local project, it is estimated that, in the Alentejo region, the average precipitation in depth will decrease by 30% by the end of the century.
“The decrease in precipitation will be felt especially in spring and summer, and agricultural and hydrological droughts might be experienced for several years”, indicates the researcher, explaining that “the rain will not be enough to keep the water in acceptable levels for human beings and their activities.”
Consequently, and according to Myriam Lopes, researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) of the University of Aveiro, water availability will decrease by 20% in inland counties. In fact, in addition to the decrease in precipitation, a temperature increase of approximately 5°C, until the end of the century, will condition water available in Alentejo (evaporation increases soil water loss, interfering in the water cycle). Throughout the Iberian Peninsula, there will be reduction of about 40% in the flow rate of rivers. “In Guadiana, for example, this may represent about 100m3 per second, which is very significant!”
Agriculture and Energy in adaptation
Odemira is one of the municipalities in Alentejo that is designing adaptation strategies. Droughts, heat waves and reduced water availability are among the main concerns. As stated by Luísa Silva, technician for the City Council Spatial Planning Sector, “the levels of the dam of Santa Clara, the main site of water supply, are falling and, for most of the county, there is no alternative.”
One of the main economic activities in this region of the country, agriculture, depends to a large extent on water resources. Adaptation options include solutions such as changing cultures or genetic modification. “The Atlantic cultures that require more water, like corn, for instance, may be gradually replaced by more resilient species, the so-called Mediterranean crops, like the grapevine”, mentions João Andrade Santos. “Another adaptation hypothesis is genetic manipulation to develop varieties of crops that are more resistant to drought and high temperatures”, he adds.
The energy sector needs to adapt as well. “The country relies heavily on water resources for hydroelectric energy production”, the CITAB researcher notes. Some dams are expected to lose electric production capacity, so “we should bet on photovoltaic energy, thus taking advantage of a generally warmer climate and with more sunny days”, he says.
On the other hand, the researcher from the University of Aveiro presents adaptation options that act upon the various stages of the water cycle. It is possible to implement measures to promote water infiltration in the soil, such as the creation of green areas and lakes in cities (compensating for waterproofing roads, buildings and underground networks). “To regulate the flow of rivers, infrastructures can be created such as dams and retention basins.” Furthermore, we can change consumption patterns and promote the efficient management of the demand. In addition to savings, we are also talking about, for example, “water collection on roofs to use as sewage waters.”
Green areas and water desalination among the options
“It is urgent to consider these issues in a preventive manner, in advance”, argues Myriam Lopes. Therefore, when predicting a situation of drastic reduction in water availability, “we must evaluate solutions such as the implementation of seawater desalination plants”, she points out.
In the Alentejo municipalities involved in the ClimaAdapt.Local project, in addition to measures like the improvement of the institutional capacity of municipalities and public awareness, “current options of cultivation and resource management are being assessed to understand their adequacy to expected climate change scenarios”, reveals Tiago Capela Lourenço.
In Odemira, something that was “not a priority”, climate change, has become a “topic for which we seek integrated responses that are focused on local reality”, highlights Hugo Pereira, technician for the City Council Geographic Information System sector.
At the moment, the municipality is studying alternative reinforcement systems of water supply, and will launch the project “Odemira Eficiente” (“Efficient Odemira”). Based on a protocol between the City Council and the Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa, the initiative aims to develop a joint and continuous research and evaluation of technologies and measures that are to be implemented on the municipality.
By: Isabel Pereira