Jaime Baptista, strategic advisor to LIS-Water, was invited to take part in the Água&Ambiente newspaper podcast held on May 15, in which he spoke, among other topics, about the consequences of the political moment for the water sector, a new electoral act that interrupts the legislature, and the balance of governance. In addition to João Belo, Director of the newspaper, resident commentators João Pedro Matos Fernandes and Diogo Faria de Oliveira took part.

Watch the podcast on the Água&Ambiente Online portal: https://lnkd.in/du6ypfyk

Jaime Baptista believes that the resignation of the government will probably result, in the current situation, only in some postponement of ongoing initiatives, without significant changes in strategy. But this postponement will already be a loss, with delays added to the delays we already had. He emphasized that this sector has lost political priority and, because there is a false perception that “we have everything sorted out”, we are stagnating or even regressing, as the latest editions of RASARP show, which is a disaster that has been announced for some years. We will probably have to stop talking about the “Portuguese miracle” and talk about “Portuguese negligence”, for letting ourselves die on the beach, for lack of courage to solve structural problems, namely the lack of economic and financial sustainability, the lack of efficiency in the governance and structuring of the sector, the lack of infrastructural sustainability, the insufficient quality of the wastewater rejected, and the low water efficiency. We need to put these services back on the political agenda and mobilize the sector’s players by creating a National Commitment Pact for Water Services.

As for the best decisions taken by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, he highlighted the reinstatement of the tariff powers of ERSAR (Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority), re-establishing its powers to set tariffs in state-owned systems and supervise the economic and financial aspects of municipal management entities, implementing one of the measures of PENSAARP 2023. It now depends on the dynamics of ERSAR, so that this decision can take effect from 2026.

Another good decision was the launch of the national strategy “Água que Une”, announced in May 2024, a national strategic vision that promotes integrated water management in Portugal, strengthening cooperation between entities and territories. It aims to ensure sustainability, resilience and efficiency in the use of water, in all its uses and dimensions, and it is important to deepen its link with PENSAARP 2030.

He also mentioned the award, a few months ago, of the Algarve desalination plant, part of the “Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan”, which had been approved by a previous government, and which is an important milestone in the process of adapting to face water scarcity in the region.

As a decision that remained to be taken, he mentioned the delay in appointing the Management Support Group (GAG 2030), an essential instrument for the effective implementation of PENSAARP 2030, to monitor the implementation of the plan, boost investments and ensure that the planned measures are carried out. He recalled that this plan was approved in February 2024, and that the members of the government in the areas of finance, the environment and territorial cohesion should, within 90 days, define the composition, powers and operating rules of this group. However, to date, it has not been set up. This is a delay on top of delays. In this regard, he recalled that in June 2020, the then government requested that PENSAARP 2030 be drawn up within a year. The proposal was submitted within that timeframe, in July 2021, but more than two and a half years passed before it was approved in February 2024 by the government in office.

As for the decision of the month, he pointed out that the regulators of water and sanitation services in Portuguese-speaking countries had very recently (07.03.2025) decided to set up LusoReg – the Network of Regulators of Water and Sanitation Services in Portuguese-speaking Countries. LusoReg’s area of activity includes the Portuguese-speaking countries, with around 300 million inhabitants, located on four continents. ERSAR took over the presidency, seconded by the vice-presidencies of ABAR – the Brazilian Association of Regulatory Agencies and ANAS – Cape Verde’s National Water and Sanitation Agency. It’s a good example of the potential the country has to mobilize international partners in this sector, which could be further optimized.

He considered that the figure of the month was Luís Veiga da Cunha, who was awarded the Personality Prize by the APRH last week. This non-profit technical-scientific association, founded in 1977, is almost 50 years old. And it’s good to know that the current president, Jorge Cardoso Gonçalves, belongs to a generation that didn’t exist when the APRH was founded, which means that the issue of water resources is truly transgenerational. It has just held another Congress, with great success and excellent participation. The creation of the APRH marked an important moment in the evolution of water governance in Portugal. Before its creation, the dominant approach was infrastructuralist, centered on the engineering of hydraulic works, such as dams, canals, supply networks, with an almost exclusive focus on the physical development of infrastructures for water use. With the creation of the APRH, a new culture of integrated water resources management was introduced.