en.Wedoany.com Reported - The government has decided to extend by an additional four months the deadline for nine municipalities to join the Greater Porto Southern Multi-Municipal Water Supply System, managed by Águas do Douro e Paiva. The municipalities involved include Mangualde, Nelas, Oliveira de Frades, Penalva do Castelo, São Pedro do Sul, Sátão, Vale de Cambra, Viseu, and Vouzela, which must make a final decision by October 4, 2026.

Previously, the government had set the decision deadline for June 4, 2026; with this extension, the deadline has been adjusted to 16 months after the decree takes effect. The amendment has been published in the Diário da República (Official Gazette). The government stated that this adjustment aims to allow the municipalities concerned to fully weigh the technical, financial, and strategic implications involved in joining the multi-municipal system, noting that feedback previously collected from the municipalities indicated the need for a longer evaluation period.

The document notes that this amendment helps refine the effectiveness of the integration model for the multi-municipal system, while also advancing the goals of resilience, efficiency, and sustainability in water resource management. This initiative aligns with the expansion of the Greater Porto Southern Multi-Municipal Water Supply System, aiming to address threats posed by climate change, integrate and enhance the system's response capacity, grant it greater scale and resilience, and promote the rational use of available water resources in a complementary manner.

According to available data, since 2017, Águas do Douro e Paiva has held the operation and management concession for the Greater Porto Southern Multi-Municipal Water Supply System and the Greater Porto Multi-Municipal Sanitation System.