The amount of water stored decreased in June in all river basins compared to the last day of the previous month, according to data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH).
The Barlavento Algarve basin continues to be the one with the smallest amount of reserve water, falling from 22.3% in May to 20.8% in June.
At the end of June, the Mira basins also had less water availability with 40.5% (41.4% in May) and Arade 40.8% (42.7% in May).
The amount of water also decreased in the Lima basins, from 76.1% to 53.5% and the Sado basin, from 72.3% to 66.7%.
On the last day of June, the basins of Mondego (91.3%), Guadiana (87.4%), Cávado (87%), Oeste (85.7%), Douro (80%) and Tagus (77.9%) were those with the largest volume of water.
According to SNIRH data, of the 58 monitored reservoirs, 28 had water availability greater than 80% of the total volume and another six below 40%.
June 2024 storages by river basin are higher than the June storage averages (1990/91 to 2022/23), except for the Lima, Mira, Ribeiras do Algarve and Arade basins.
Each river basin may correspond to more than one reservoir.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), almost half of the territory of mainland Portugal was in weak or moderate meteorological drought at the end of May, with greater focus on the South region,
