IPMA says September 2026 was mainland Portugal's hottest since 1931: a mean of 23.41 °C, maximums 4.21 °C above normal, a national heatwave at 72 percent of stations and only 12.7 mm of rain. What it means for drought, reservoirs and the weeks ahead.
A new Sustentável 2030 call lets councils and public water companies upgrade wastewater plants and lay pipes to deliver reusable water. The first phase closes on 20 May 2027, the second on 20 September 2027.
A Council of Ministers resolution pushes the Crato dam's spending calendar from 2027 to 2030 without raising the ceiling. The project left the Recovery Plan in 2025, and four environmental groups have it tied up in the administrative courts.
Viseu has agreed to hand its bulk water supply to Águas do Douro e Paiva for 40 years, with a larger Fagilde dam, a new treatment plant and a link to the Douro. SIC puts the investment at almost 200 million euros.
The environment agency will now run the plan the council drew up after the November 2015 flood. Its centrepiece, a 1.5 km tunnel to carry the stream straight to the sea, is now costed at 33 million euros, more than double the first estimate.
ERSAR's annual report puts mainland tap water at about 99 percent safe for the eleventh year running. The weak spots are small inland systems and public fountains, which are still the only water source for 8,797 people.
The APA's reports for the 2028 to 2033 river basin plans find that only 37 to 65 percent of surface water is in good status across the mainland districts. Zero puts financial execution of the current measures at about 12 percent in 2022 and 2023.
