They provide a comprehensive overview of the behaviour of the catchment, improving our understanding of the phenomena
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) spearheaded the installation and modernisation of seven hydrometeorological monitoring stations in northern Portugal, as part of the European RISC_PLUS project, with the aim of strengthening the water resources monitoring and warning system and improving the ability to anticipate extreme weather events. These actions, carried out as part of the strengthening of the Water Resources Monitoring and Warning System, enabled the existing network to be expanded and optimised through the addition of new stations and the upgrading of existing infrastructure, ensuring greater territorial coverage and data reliability. The new stations, equipped with remote transmission systems, enable the collection and transmission of real-time information on key variables such as river levels, flow rates and rainfall. This information is crucial for the early detection of risk situations, such as floods or heavy rainfall events, facilitating the issuance of alerts and decision-making by the competent authorities.
The projects included both hydrometric stations, designed to monitor rivers, and meteorological stations, focused on monitoring rainfall and weather conditions. Among the projects carried out are the Cavada hydrometric station on the River Coura and the Monção station on the River Miño, both situated at strategic points for monitoring flood risk. In addition, stations were installed in Cerdeira, Extremo, Merufe and Nogueira to monitor rainfall, alongside the meteorological station in Cerveira, which provides supplementary meteorological data for analysing the hydrological behaviour of the catchment. This combination of infrastructure provides an integrated view of the catchment’s hydrological behaviour, improving the interpretation of these phenomena.
Responses are improving
The integration of these stations into the SVARH system reinforces its role as an essential tool for water resource management and civil protection, enabling faster response times and improving the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
Furthermore, the data generated contributes to the analysis of river behaviour, the study of climate trends and hydrological planning. These actions help to strengthen the monitoring network in northern Portugal and throughout the Miño river basin, highlighting cross-border cooperation as a key element in improving joint water resource management and risk prevention.
