Perhaps the greatest novelty of Sunday was the fact that this government is indeed looking into the possibility of a water highway south – in this case, using the massive Alqueva reservoir in the Alentejo as the source.
Water highways are a ‘moot point’, in that some environmentalists argue vehemently against them, suggesting they carry too many environmental costs, and are not, effectively, doing anything to boost water supplies (they are simply moving water around).
Equally, some engineers and academics champion the concept of water highways, particularly from the north (which often has too much water). Indeed, a pipeline connecting with the north has been something AMAL (the intermunicipal community of the Algarve) has said may be worth investigating.