All the basins of continental Portugal, with the exception of the Lima and Mondego basins in the north, showed water quantities above normal at the end of July, according to the National System for Information on Water Resources (SNIRH).
The Lima basin stood at 51.9% of its volume on the last day of the previous month, while the Mondego basin stood at 74.3%, when the normal values are 65.3% and 78.2%, respectively.
The Oeste basin was the one with the most water stored, at 100%, followed by the Mira Basin (94.3%) and the Barlavento Basin (86.7%).
According to SNIRH, the basins with the least water were Lima (51.9%), followed by Ave (66.0%) and Douro (71%).
Of the 60 reservoirs monitored, 21 show water availabilities above 80% of the total volume, and by the end of July there were no reservoirs with availability below 40% of the total volume.
Each hydrological basin can correspond to more than one reservoir.
The June climatological bulletin, prepared by the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), indicated that 61.1% of the territory showed mild drought and 2.7% moderate drought.
The index that measures the amount of water in the soil ranges between the extremes of extreme rainfall and extreme drought.
Meteorological drought and hydrological drought are two different states of water scarcity.
Meteorological drought first arises with the lack of rainfall, while hydrological drought affects water levels in dams and rivers later.
