Latest news and stories about water shortage in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Costa do Mar Family Health Unit (Unidade de Saúde Familiar or USF) in Costa da Caparica closed this afternoon due to ongoing water supply failures in the region. The local Parish Council (Junta de Freguesia) has requested assistance from firefighters to distribute water to residents for basic household needs.
For days, thousands of people in Almada have been living with water cuts. Journalist Marina Ferreira explains the origin of this crisis and who is taking responsibility.
The Almada municipality is implementing measures to conserve water, including a ban on irrigation and the potential closure of non-essential public facilities.
There are still three people being observed in the General Emergency services. The accident also resulted in two deaths. Meanwhile, in the World Cup, Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 and is through to the quarter-finals.
The Almada City Council will prohibit certain non-essential water uses to restore reserves, the mayor announced this Tuesday (July 7), hoping to overcome successive supply failures in the municipality within two to three weeks. Mayor Inês de Medeiros stated that all irrigation, both public and private, will be banned to recover capacity. The council is also deploying water tankers to critical areas and launching a major inspection campaign to combat illegal water diversion. Additionally, the municipality plans to license new boreholes to strengthen the water supply.
The mayor expects it will take two to three weeks to resolve the successive water supply failures in the municipality.
The Costa da Caparica Parish Council has turned to firefighters to mitigate the impact of water shortages on the local population. The local volunteer fire station is providing water throughout Tuesday, July 7, for those in need, using a tactical forest tanker truck with approximately 9,000 litres of water. Parish President Vanessa Krause stated that the council decided to act because the Civil Protection and the City Council failed to take the initiative. To ensure access to drinking water, the parish council also purchased a 1,000-litre stainless steel tank to distribute water throughout the area. The water supply issues in the municipality have persisted for at least four days during a heatwave, with the Costa da Caparica area being the most affected. The Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) have acknowledged the pressure fluctuations and supply interruptions, promising a swift resolution. Meanwhile, the Almada City Council has activated a contingency plan, while the PSD party has announced a motion of no confidence against the socialist leadership, citing poor planning and management.
While Luís Montenegro sees a 'bed of roses' in the national team, exam results are slipping under a 'falling star' minister. Meanwhile, in Almada, there is no water in the middle of summer.
The BE argues that the local authority must immediately provide access points to drinking water in the most affected areas and improve communication with the public, including advance warnings about supply interruptions.
The mayor stated that these measures will be discussed later this Monday in a meeting with the Municipal Civil Protection.
Recurring outages in Almada, especially in Costa da Caparica and Sobreda, have led ERSAR to request clarifications from the SMAS. Protests are scheduled for the coming days.
In recent days, residents of several locations in the Almada municipality have reported successive water outages.
Thousands of residents in the Greater Lisbon municipality of Almada were left without running water today after a major water main burst disrupted supplies across several neighbourhoods – adding to The post Thousands face fresh water shortages in Almada appeared first on Portugal Resident.
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”.
CMTV spoke this Sunday with more people who are desperate due to the lack of warnings and the ongoing water supply problems. In addition to the lack of water from the taps, they point out that the situation has already led to the depletion of bottled water for sale in commercial establishments.
A new inevitability, very much in the Portuguese style: the lack of water in the municipality of Almada.
The regulator has requested explanations from municipal services. Residents of Costa da Caparica, Sobreda, and Capuchos have been facing outages for weeks. Protests are scheduled for the coming days.
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.
Cuts have been daily. The Futuro Costa movement demands a solution to the problem, which affects residents, business owners, workers, and visitors.
A report on the current lack of water resources across the country.
Beside the logistics centre set up at the Municipal Shipyards, about a dozen people were waiting this morning to collect roof tiles and tarpaulins, at a time when there is still no water or electricity. Listen here.
The theft of electrical cables in Marinha Grande, in the district of Leiria, is one of the reasons for the water shortage in the municipality, which was among the worst hit by last Wednesday's storm, the mayor said today.
In addition to cable thefts, the mayor said there may also be equipment faults or problems with the fuel supply.
In Caxarias, in the municipality of Ourém, there has been no electricity for more than two days and many people are without water. In Ferreira do Zêzere the power is out and the damage to houses and infrastructure is evident.
The region continues to grapple with the severe consequences caused by the low-pressure system Kristin.
Almost two days after Storm Kristin, the city of Leiria remains without electricity. There is still a shortage of water and communications have not been fully restored.
The region continues to grapple with the severe consequences caused by depression Kristin.
