Socialist Party councilors in Lisbon accuse Mayor Carlos Moedas's administration of lacking transparency and exceeding the budget of a key city drainage plan by 30 million euros.

Budget Overrun

The costs of the Lisbon General Drainage Plan have increased by 30 million euros compared to the original assumptions.

Demand for a Schedule

The opposition is demanding that the mayor present concrete deadlines for the completion of the flood prevention tunnel works.

Key Investment

The project involves the construction of two large tunnels designed to protect the Portuguese capital from torrential downpours.

The Socialist Party in Lisbon has accused Mayor Carlos Moedas's administration of exceeding the budget of the Lisbon General Drainage Plan by 30 million euros. The Socialists are demanding that the city's mayor present concrete deadlines for the completion of this key flood prevention investment, pointing to a lack of clarity in the current work schedule. Carlos Moedas, who has served as Presidente da Câmara Municipal since 2021, has come under fire from the opposition over rising infrastructure costs. 30 (mln euro) — the amount by which the drainage plan budget was exceeded

The Lisbon General Drainage Plan is a strategic infrastructure initiative that has been overseen by six different mayors over the past two decades. The main goal of the project is to build a system of tunnels to protect the Portuguese capital from cyclical floods that regularly inundate the city's lower-lying districts. Although the PGDL concept was developed many years ago, it was during Carlos Moedas's term that the most advanced drilling works using TBM machines began. The investment is considered the most complex engineering project in modern Lisbon's history. The political dispute over the PGDL intensified after an analysis of expenditures on tunnel construction, which, according to the opposition, have spiraled out of control. Implementation and Controversies Surrounding the PGDL: October 18, 2021 — Start of Term; November 28, 2024 — Budget Criticism; February 10, 2025 — Drilling Begins; March 11, 2026 — Overrun Allegations

Representatives of the Socialist Party emphasize that the additional financial outlays for drainage limit the city's investment possibilities in other sectors, such as housing. Mayor Carlos Moedas rejects these accusations, reminding that it was his administration that brought about real progress in works that for years remained only in the planning phase. The city's mayor noted that key tunnel excavation stages were completed in line with his mandate, representing a breakthrough for Lisbon's civil protection. „É verdade que o primeiro furo da obra do túnel do Plano Geral de Drenagem de Lisboa foi feita no seu mandato” (It is true that the first bore for the Lisbon General Drainage Plan tunnel work was done during his mandate) — Carlos Moedas via RTP

Mentioned People

  • Carlos Moedas — Civil engineer, economist, and politician, currently Mayor of Lisbon and Counselor of State.
  • António Costa — Former Mayor of Lisbon and former Prime Minister of Portugal, under whose leadership the PGDL concept was developed.
  • Fernando Medina — Former Mayor of Lisbon, involved in the development of the drainage plan before Moedas's term.