Porto takes ownership for the city's impact on the environment by reducing pollution

Porto is not only a smart city but it is also an environmentally conscious city, taking ownership for the city's impact on the environment by reducing pollution. One of such examples is the intermunicipal project of the Rio Tinto River Clean-up project, led by Porto Municipal Company Águas do Porto, in the context of the global urban planning of Porto district.

For decades, the river was heavily polluted due to illegal discharges of polluting substances. But now, following the cleaning up of the Rio Tinto for ecosystem value, ducks, salamanders and newts are among the species that started to be spotted by the River Keeper of Lipor in the Rio Tinto environment.

The spotted species are considered a gauge of the health of the ecosystem that provides its habitat.

The river stretches for up to 12 km, through the Porto district. The clean-up project started in June 2016, and it included the comprehensive register of the polluted areas so as to implement natural engineering interventions to recover the river bed.

The clean-up in water quality and ecosystem conditions of this tributary to the Douro River, which flows to the Freixo area, should be concluded by the end of May 2019.

The inter-municipal project is budgeted at approximately 7, 9 million euros, and it is monitored by the municipal company Águas do Porto.

Moreover, this intervention shall link the 36 500 square metres Urban Park of Rio Tinto, and the Eastern Park of the City of Porto that will be expanded by 20 ha.
The expansion of the Eastern Park is under the supervision of landscape architect Sidónio Pardal, who also supervised the establishment of Porto City Park.