Latest news and stories about public utility in Portugal for expats and residents.
A peak of 2,379 reports was recorded around 2:50 PM. The majority of the issues concerned mobile signal, with 25% related to mobile internet and 12% to voice calls.
For the last five months, the 20 or so residents of the village of Boiço (Tábua municipality) have been ‘living in hell’, writes Correio da Manhã today – all because The post Sleepless nights for village close to ETAR (water treatment plant) appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Three months after the crisis that left taps dry in July, the SMAS president says the dispute with Seixal over the CBR2 borehole is close to being resolved.
The water supply crisis in Almada served as a serious regional warning, the president of SMAS warns in an interview. For Luís Palma, the scenario opened a window of opportunity to strengthen resilience and resolve long-standing disputes with the neighboring municipality of Seixal. In early July, the Almada municipality, in the Setúbal district, experienced...
The company AGERE informed customers that the pipeline will be repaired during this Wednesday.
A repair intervention following the identification of a water supply pipe burst in Costa da Caparica will force a temporary interruption of the supply this Thursday, October 1st, starting at 2:00 PM, the Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) announced on Wednesday. The SMAS of Almada stated they will make every effort to minimize the impact and restore supply as quickly as possible, according to a note on the Almada City Council website. The municipality of Almada, in the Setúbal district, was in a state of alert from early July until the end of August due to successive water supply failures, particularly in Costa da Caparica, which led to several protests by the population. On September 9th, the Minister of Environment announced that the Government aims to have a solution for the water shortage on the South Bank within four months, drawing from the Castelo de Bode Dam and/or the Tagus River. Maria da Graça Carvalho stated that the technical solution will complement the use of groundwater and added that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Águas de Portugal (ÁdP) group have been tasked with presenting a project within 120 days. In response, Mayor Inês de Medeiros noted that the commitments made by the minister offer hope that this solution can be operational as soon as possible, emphasizing that it is intended to strengthen the system's security and resilience.
A scheduled power outage is planned for specific dates in September across various locations in Portugal. Residents are advised to check the official list for affected areas and timeframes.
A notice informing that multiple regions across Portugal will experience power outages on Sunday.
In these locations, from 10:00 PM today until 6:00 AM on Friday, there will be a “total water cut”.
Pragal, Almada, Cacilhas, Ramalha, Cova da Piedade, Bairro da Cova da Piedade, and Centro Sul are the areas affected tonight.
A new water borehole has been completed earlier than expected, strengthening the water supply network in the Almada region.
Around 9:00 PM, a resident reported the burst to Lusa, noting a large volume of water flowing onto the public road near the Marquês de Pombal roundabout.
The Mayor of Almada, Inês de Medeiros, declared a state of alert in the municipality on Wednesday.
The local authority states that measures already in place are being reinforced to ensure supply to the population and essential services.
The Costa do Mar Family Health Unit (USF) in Costa da Caparica, in the municipality of Almada, Setúbal district, closed this afternoon due to a lack of water in the region, according to official sources.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, identified Almada as the municipality with the highest water losses in the supply network, acknowledging the need for infrastructure investment. Almada is perhaps the municipality with the highest water losses, well above the average, at over 35%. Therefore, there is a need for maintenance.
A major pipe burst has worsened the situation.
In recent days, residents of several locations in the Almada municipality have reported successive water outages, leading to the launch of a petition that already has nearly four thousand signatures.
The affected areas are Monte da Caparica, Lazarim, Palhais, Alto do Índio, Vale Flores, and Costa da Caparica. Additionally, the number of districts under a red warning from the IPMA due to heat has increased.
Residents of the Almada municipality have been experiencing serious water supply problems for several days. With Mayor Inês de Medeiros remaining silent, the Regulatory Entity has already requested clarifications from the municipal services. A protest is scheduled for tomorrow near the SMAS Almada offices.
Water supply was interrupted this Sunday, July 5, in Monte de Caparica, Lazarim, Palhais, Alto do Índio, Vale Flores, and Costa da Caparica due to a major burst in a supply pipe. The municipal water services (SMAS) are on-site for repairs. Residents have been reporting frequent water outages for weeks, leading to a petition with nearly 4,000 signatures demanding urgent action. The water regulator (ERSAR) has requested explanations from the municipality, while SMAS attributes the shortages to high temperatures and a surge in seasonal population, which have led to the implementation of strategic pressure reductions and rotational supply management.
A “solidary and rotating network management” system was implemented in the municipality, which involves a “strategic reduction of pressure throughout the municipality between 00:00 and 06:00”.
The Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) acknowledged on Friday morning (July 3rd) that there are water supply difficulties in the municipality and appealed for 'responsible use' during this period of 'intense heat' where 'overall demand has exceeded the water' that can be captured daily from boreholes. In a statement, SMAS Almada warns that this is a 'period of great demand for water supply' at a time when there is a 'significant increase in the seasonal population in the municipality'. These factors, combined with the intense heat, mean that 'overall demand has been higher than the water we can capture daily from our boreholes'. In the document released, SMAS admits to carrying out 'solidary and rotating management of the network' to 'balance pressures throughout the municipality, ensuring that the available resource is shared fairly and equitably among all locations'. The public is also asked to moderate 'watering of gardens and private green spaces' and to reduce 'non-essential consumption and prevent waste during this critical period'. The local authority, led by Inês de Medeiros, has already decided on 'strict containment of watering in public spaces and the suspension of non-essential street washing'. The municipal services responsible for water and sanitation management in Almada also state that a 'new borehole' is already in operation and that by the end of July, a backup will enter service. A worker died buried after a water pipe burst in Almada. The developer of the 'Cidade da Água' project in Almada will have to bear the cost of the infrastructure.
Several areas of Almada are without access to water on a day when temperatures are set to exceed 30 degrees and all recommendations advise staying hydrated.
The president of E-Redes also stated that, 'as of today', there are no customers without electricity supply following these severe weather events.
The CEO of E-Redes stated that the electricity network, affected by a series of storms, has become more fragile following temporary repairs. The company is now focused on consolidating the grid and increasing resilience in affected areas, including plans to bury power lines and reinforce infrastructure. During a parliamentary hearing regarding the aftermath of Storm Kristin, José Ferrari Careto noted that while temporary solutions were prioritised to restore power quickly, the company is now committed to permanent upgrades, despite concerns over labour availability and the balance between cost and risk in network construction.
A look back at the major power outage that affected Portugal, Spain, and regions of France one year ago, summarizing the known facts surrounding the event.
The competition authority highlighted that the facts subject to these proceedings “do not, in themselves, imply the attribution of the origin or cause of the blackout to the affected companies.”
