The Estorãos River in Ponte de Lima is practically dry. The President of the Board points the batteries at Quinta da Aveleda, which has a 100-hectare farm in the parish of Cabração. For its part, the company guarantees that it strictly complies with the law and ensures that, if it is concluded that it is the cause of the problem, it will find a solution.
The case was reported to the Portuguese Environment Association (APA), which is investigating the causes of what happened.
The APA report is awaited by the Chamber, which considers the “situation to be worrying”.
At the political level, the local PS, in opposition, speaks of “abusive and illegal diversion of water”. The Left Bloc questioned the government on the matter.
“Since they started planting vines, we started to have problems”
The president of the Junta de Estorãos, Carlos Gonçalves, has no doubts at the time to point out a culprit: Aveleda.
“Since they planted vines in the parish of Cabração, we started to have water problems. We already had it in 2018, it wasn’t very serious, but I started my crusade there ”, says the mayor, recalling that he raised his concerns to the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Economy, among several other entities. “Nobody took me seriously, even the people themselves thought I was seeing things badly”, he points out.
“It was obvious that this would happen, because the river does not have enough flow to irrigate an extension of 70 hectares”, maintains the President of the Board, adding that the river has, “since 1968 or 1969”, an irrigation that serves that whole area and that “there are a few hundred hectares”.
“It always came for everything. Irrigation is not at the service of a person, it is at the service of an entire community, ”says the mayor, with photographs of tubes“ 31 centimeters in diameter ”that capture the water for Aveleda’s winery.
Capture tubes. Photo: DR
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Water bombs. Photo: DR
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“I always said that when there was the first dry year, like this year, the river would dry up, and that’s what happens,” he adds.
In social networks, the subject is also discussed passionately and there is also criticism of the junta itself. In this sense, there are photographs of a tractor of the Junta doing work on the riverbed.
Joint tractor performs work on the bed. Photo: DR
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Carlos Gonçalves explains that it was “to clean up the garbage that comes from the floods” and that the photographs are being used to intimidate him with a possible complaint to the Ministry of the Environment, but he emphasizes that this situation has nothing to do with Aveleda.
The mayor even met with the company’s management, in a meeting mediated by the Chamber, some time ago, “the procession was still in the churchyard”.
“We had a friendly meeting. (…) I have nothing against Quinta da Aveleda, nor against any company that invests to grow. I have against when, to grow, they will harm a community ”, affirms the president of the Board, emphasizing that“ this is a crime ”.
“We will have sun and heat in the near future and the flow will close completely. Fish die, river species die, the animals that gravitate there. It is an ecological crime. And you have to call whoever does this criminal ”, defends Carlos Gonçalves.
“The impact that our vineyard will have on the river’s flow will be very small”
Aveleda’s management considers that the accusations “are meaningless”. “All funding is officially requested from APA. Our order was made, we have the licenses. APA, when issuing abstraction licenses, does so already taking into account the flow of rivers, both in the peak season and, above all, in the minimum season ”, says administrator António Guedes to O MINHO.
“We have the approval of APA, which always takes the technical part into consideration. People always like to find the culprits, but the impact that our vineyard will have on the river’s flow will be very small ”, he assures, adding that Aveleda this year used only about 80% of its abstraction rights.
“We are below normal volume,” says the administrator, noting that Aveleda does not capture the Estorãos River, but its tributary, the Formigoso. “Let that be very clear. When they say that Aveleda captures the Estorãos River, it is not true, it makes it a tributary of the Estorãos River, which is the Formigoso River. Our catchment is only from the river Formigoso, which has a normal flow at this time of the year ”, he stresses.
Showing calm about the possible responsibilities of Aveleda, the administrator points out that APA is analyzing the issue. “So, we have to wait for this report,” he says, adding: “Obviously, if we are the cause of the problem, we are here to talk and solve it. We obviously do not want to penalize the ecosystem of that area ”, guarantees António Guedes.
“We are here to build, not to destroy. Any problem that exists, we are willing to build a solution. We are a serious company, we do things as required by law, we have legal funding, everything is right ”, he reinforces.
Chamber awaits APA report
Contacted by O MINHO, the Chamber claims to be “following” the situation, which it considers “worrying”, and which has even raised the problem with APA.
That entity informed the municipality that the technicians would go to the field to assess the situation. The Chamber “is waiting for a response”.
The Ponte de Lima PS considers that “they are destroying the Estorãos River” and points out that “the abusive and illegal diversions of water that are being carried out upstream are giving rise to this deplorable situation”.
“What measures has the Municipal Executive taken to prevent this situation?”, Question the socialists in a post on their Facebook page.
However, the Left Bloc has already questioned the government on the matter. The blockers want to know the reasons for the “drastic reduction” in the flow of the Estorãos river and what measures the Government will take to guarantee “an essential condition for the preservation of that river ecosystem”.
BE questions Government about “drastic reduction” of river flow in Ponte de Lima
In addition to the causes of the flow reduction, BE wants to know if the Government has “licenses in force for the abstraction of water from the Estorãos River, which entities are licensed and the validity periods of the respective licenses”.
Until there is a conclusion, a lot of water (no) will run under the bridge.
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