Introduction

The program of the XXIII Constitutional Government, recently announced, will condition the country’s development over the next four years. We carried out a detailed analysis from the perspective of water services. What guidelines does he bring us to the sector?

The structure of the program

The program presented is structured in a first part on good governance and four major strategic challenges. The first is climate change, the climate transition, the second on demography, the third on inequalities and the fourth on digital society, creativity and innovation.

The most direct references to water services appear in the challenge of climate change, climate transition, mainly included in the circular economy, but also in the energy transition and the enhancement of the territory. More transversal references also appear, applicable to water services, in the strategic challenge of the digital society, creativity and innovation, essentially included in the 4.0 economy and consumer protection.

The national strategy for water services

It is important to prioritize the evaluation of the program in terms of the national strategy for water supply and wastewater and rainwater management services.

It appears that he intends to continue supporting the improvement of effectiveness and efficiency in the management of the urban water cycle, recommended in the Strategic Plan for Water Supply and Management of Waste and Rainwater 2030, currently in public consultation, namely in the mechanisms economic and financial balance of municipal systems, in the maintenance of systems and in the reduction of water losses, innovating in monitoring systems (smart grids), with specific programs to expand wastewater sanitation, connection to the network and new technologies for proximity and flexibility, acting on rainwater management, continuing to focus on treated wastewater, efficient sludge management, and energy neutrality measures. It advocates replacing a linear economy, which extracts, transforms, sells and throws away, with a circular economy, as the former leads to a heavy climate bill, in addition to intensifying the risks arising from water scarcity. Considers that, with the increase in demand, effectively managing these resources is essential for a resilient, sustainable and competitive economy.

These guidelines are important, reinforcing the relevance of PENSAARP 2030 for the sector as a whole, as it essentially covers all these aspects.

Water services and water resources

It is also important to evaluate the program in terms of water resources, given its importance and the strong impact on water services, both as a source and as a final destination of the urban water cycle.

It appears that the program intends to give continuity to the management plans for hydrographic regions, complete the preparation of flood risk management plans and drought management plans, and review the planning plans for public water reservoirs, taking into account account the results of the recent study to assess current and future water availability and application of the scarcity index. It intends to continue the execution of the national strategy for the rehabilitation of rivers and streams, in an approach to the enhancement of the national hydrographic network, with primacy to natural engineering methods, and reinforcing monitoring, improving the quality of water bodies and the capacity to resist flood phenomena, reviewing the capture and discharge licenses of the large economic operators, strengthening the means of inspection and inspection of illegal capture and discharge and continuing to promote integrated solutions for the recovery and treatment of agricultural and agro-industrial effluents.

These guidelines are consistent with the A3 objective on the quality of water for supply and waste, as well as the environmental measures referred to in PENSAARP 2030, to be included in the national water plan and in the hydrographic basin management plans.

Water services and resilience

In view of its importance for water services, it is important to evaluate the program in terms of measures to reinforce resilience in the face of natural and man-made phenomena.

The program recalls that the national territory, due to its geographical position, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Heat waves and prolonged droughts put pressure on the water resource and periods of intense and concentrated precipitation in time can lead to flood situations. Since an increase in the frequency and intensity of these events is inevitable, the program advocates reducing these vulnerabilities and increasing resilience, not only through interventions in the territory, but also by increasing the knowledge and information essential for the application of the necessary measures for the protection of communities. , particularly with regard to security of water supply. It advocates optimizing storage capacity, namely through interconnections between systems, as a way of ensuring greater resilience to supply systems. Examples are the regional water efficiency plans in Alentejo and Algarve.

These guidelines are consistent with measure A4 on security, resilience and climate action, which is part of PENSAARP 2030.

Water services and wastewater use

It is important to evaluate the program in terms of the use of wastewater, given its relevance in the sector as a new source of water to be explored.

The program aims to promote the reuse of treated wastewater for compatible purposes, reducing pressure on surface and groundwater sources. It also intends to review the irrigation water tariff calculation system in order to encourage efficient consumption, namely with the use of treated recycled water, for example in the irrigation components of the Algarve regional water efficiency plan and the use of hydraulic multiples of Crato.

These guidelines are consistent with measure C3 on the use and recovery of resources, which is part of PENSAARP 2030.

Water services and the energy transition

Given the weight that energy has on water supply and wastewater management services, it is important to evaluate the program in terms of energy transition.

The program intends to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan and the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap. It also intends to implement a national strategy for biomethane, produced namely from wastewater or sludge from treatment plants. It also intends to continue with the focus on resource efficiency, decarbonization and renewable energy by the State, with targets for reducing primary energy consumption, water consumption and other materials, as well as energy and water renovation of the buildings of the entities of the direct and indirect public administration, including central and peripheral services.

These guidelines are in line with measure B5 on energy efficiency and decarbonisation, which is part of PENSAARP 2030.

Water services, Economy 4.0 and smart cities

It is important to evaluate the program in terms of Economy 4.0, given the impact it may have on water supply and waste and rainwater management services, and in terms of smart cities, of which water services are an integral part.

The program aims to promote the digital transformation of the business fabric. It intends to support start-ups and attract talent, also implementing a digital residency program, for the acquisition and retention of foreign talent. It intends to implement innovation and modernization of the state and public administration. Committed to the formation of intelligent territories and the creation of a network of smart cities, promoting the use and proliferation of technologies related to the Internet of Things, contributing to more informed and intelligent decision-making, encouraging the intelligent management of water networks and the use of technologies that safeguard greater energy efficiency.

These guidelines converge with measure B2 on organization, modernization and digitization of management entities, measure C5 on information, knowledge and innovation management and measure D1 on business and economic enhancement, which are part of PENSAARP 2030.

Water services and consumer protection

The issue of consumer protection is always associated with water supply and waste and rainwater management services, as essential public services.

The program aims to create conditions for the expansion and modernization of the network of consumer arbitration centres, namely with regard to their territorial presence and through the creation of a digital platform for alternative dispute resolution. It also intends to allow the regulatory authorities to determine, by means of an injunction, the restoration of the situation prior to the commission of the infraction.

These guidelines are consistent with the D3 measure on societal valuation, which is part of the PENSAARP 2030.

Water services and security

It is important to evaluate the program in terms of security, given its importance for water supply and waste and rainwater management services, considered critical services essential to the functioning of society.

The program aims to reinforce organizations’ cybersecurity, in terms of digital and operational infrastructures, as well as the development of both general and specialized skills of human resources, implementing the investments foreseen in the PRR. The program aims to strengthen internal security and provide citizens with higher levels of security. It plans to implement the civil emergency planning system in various sectors, namely water services, including the adoption of preventive measures and response coordination in crisis situations, with a view to safeguarding the functioning of public services and critical infrastructure.

These guidelines are consistent with measure A4 on security, resilience and climate action, which is part of PENSAARP 2030.

Water services and human resources

Naturally, it is important to evaluate the program in terms of human resources, given its importance for water supply and waste and rainwater management services.

The program intends to value, train and rejuvenate the public administration. It plans to review the duration of service commissions for middle managers, with a view to providing greater dynamism to the services, further expanding its recruitment base beyond Public Administration, to the State business sector and regulatory authorities. It intends to stimulate distance work, promoting the use of teleworking as a means of flexibility in the provision of work and as a possibility of maximizing the use of technologies within the scope of other contractual forms, stimulating the appearance of functions in a mixed regime of face-to-face work and telework, giving advantages to this form of hiring for functions that can be performed outside large population centers, establishing incentives for the relocation of jobs to inland areas or outside large urban centers, creating support centers or telework in the interior of the country , providing public bodies and services with the capacity to welcome and implement this work option, experimenting, in public administration pilot services, with part-time remote work and setting quantified objectives for contracting telework in public administration.

These guidelines are partially convergent with measure C4 on human capital, which is part of the PENSAARP 2030 project, although very focused on public administration.

Water services and the risks of corruption

Finally, it is important to evaluate the program in terms of corruption risks, given its transversal importance for the sectors of activity, namely water supply services and waste and rainwater management.

The program intends to prevent corruption and fraud, naturally including this sector, making the regulatory authority, professional public associations and other competent entities responsible for imposing additional measures, and promoting good practices in essential public services.

These guidelines are consistent with measure D4 on transparency, accountability and ethics, which is part of PENSAARP 2030.

In summary

The program of the XXIII Constitutional Government brings us guidelines for the sector that, in essence, coincide with those foreseen in the PENSAARP 2030 project, although some absences are noted, such as those related to the role and importance of regulatory entities.

Effectively, the vision of the plan was materialized in four global strategic objectives, which aim to achieve effective, efficient, sustainable services with more added value for society. These global goals break down into 20 specific goals. The effectiveness of services involves achieving physical accessibility, continuity and reliability of services, quality of distributed and rejected water, security, resilience and climate action, as well as equity and economic accessibility for users. The efficiency of services involves achieving better governance and structuring of the sector, organization, modernization and digitization of management entities, efficient management and allocation of financial resources, water efficiency, energy efficiency and decarbonisation. The sustainability of services involves achieving economic, financial and infrastructural sustainability, use and recovery of natural resources, adequate human capital, management of information, knowledge and innovation. The enhancement of services involves achieving business and economic enhancement in the internal and external markets, circularity and environmental and territorial enhancement, societal enhancement, transparency, accountability and ethics, and contribution to sustainable development and international political cooperation.

But it is essential to keep in mind that, just as important as having good strategic planning is having good governance of the same, without which its realization will hardly be successful. It is important to have the plan’s governance, sector mobilization, monitoring, risk management and technological support mechanisms well defined.