The nightly water cuts in the municipality of Almada, as part of measures to restore reserves, will take place tonight in the localities of Trafaria, Raposeira, Corvina, Fonte Santa, Banática and Porto Brandão, announced by the city hall.
In a joint statement released on the official Facebook page of the Almada City Council and the Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) of Almada, it is indicated that, as in last night, “within the scope of the alert situation,” there will be “the total interruption of water supply” between 22:00 today and 06:00 on Friday in those six localities.
“The restoration of the supply will be carried out gradually, so the water replenishment may reach the tap at different times within the affected areas,” the aforementioned entities state.
On Wednesday night, the supply cut was made in Charneca da Caparica, Aroeira, Marisol, Fonte da Telha, Palhais, Lazarim, Botequim, Vila Nova da Caparica, Capuchos, Pilotos, Funchalinho, Vale Rosal, Vale Cavala, Quintinhas and Quinta de Santa Teresa.
In recent days, there have been successive water failures, with particular impact on Costa da Caparica, with the contingency plan of the SMAS Almada activated on Monday and a crisis cabinet created.
Meanwhile, the president of the Almada City Council, Inês de Medeiros (PS), declared on Wednesday a state of alert in the municipality.
“While the state of alert lasts, restrictions on water consumption will be implemented to preserve this essential resource for domestic supply and for services indispensable to the population,” she stated.
Among the measures, there is the total cut of supply in certain zones of the county, from 22:00 to 06:00, and the prohibition of all uses of water from the public network that do not correspond to domestic or essential uses, namely watering of public and private gardens and golf courses, car washing, filling of swimming pools, use of showers and foot-washing in bathing areas, operation of ornamental fountains, artificial lakes and other water features for aesthetic use, and washing of exterior pavements, courtyards, walls and roofs.
The Almada City Hall also said that “the need to adopt additional measures to reduce consumption is also being assessed, including the temporary suspension of municipal activities or equipment that use particularly large amounts of water, if this proves necessary to accelerate the recovery of the system.”
In statements today to RTP, Inês de Medeiros said that on Saturday, “municipal facilities, changing rooms and sports infrastructures that involve significant water consumption will also be closed, except when official competitions are at stake.”
The Almada City Council also announced on Facebook that the events Trafaria Com Prova, scheduled to take place between Friday and Sunday, and Solar Com Vida, scheduled for Saturday in Sobreda, were postponed due to the alert situation, without indicating new dates.
According to the city hall, the situation faced by the municipality of Almada is exceptional and results from a very significant increase in water consumption, which has placed unprecedented pressure on the water supply system.
However, the Almada City Council and SMAS guarantee the supply to essential facilities and services, namely hospitals, health centers, nursing homes, firefighters and other critical infrastructures, providing alternative means of supply, including water tankers, in the areas where this proves necessary, and reinforcing coordination with neighboring municipalities and other competent entities to ensure all available response capacity.
