The Chamber of Leiria expects to complete another water reservoir this week, a preventive measure against drought, and it is estimated that by the end of the year the water points in the municipality will reach 25.
“The reservoir [em Milagres] it is being assembled and we hope, this week, to be in a position to start filling it with non-drinking water,” councilor Luís Lopes told Lusa on Tuesday, explaining that it could be used to fight fires, “the main reason for implanting in this place, including with the capacity to supply aerial resources”, and for other purposes.
Luís Lopes, head of Civil Protection, said that, until the end of this year, the municipality plans to install two more water pointsin Maceira and in the Amor area, allowing the network to reach 25, between infrastructures created for this purpose and other natural ones (such as ponds or dams).
This measure is part of the 32 measures announced by the Leiria City Council in February, within the scope of the Municipal Water Management Plan, to mitigate the effects of droughtwhen, in the previous month, 11% of the Portuguese peninsula was in extreme drought.
In June, data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere indicated that more than a quarter of the continent’s territory was in extreme drought (28.4%).
Our management logic for these water points is, precisely, (…) in case of need and in case of failure of the normal supply points, the high and low network of the SMAS is understood [Serviços Municipalizados de Água e Saneamento] o Águas do Centro Litoral, to have an alternative network of perfectly supplied points that we can use, both for supplying the population”, as well as for livestock or agriculture, the mayor specified.
According to Luís Lopes, there have also been “interventions in other existing water points”, improving access and increasing water storage capacity.
At a minimum, we achieve a capacity of never less than 5,400 cubic meters. We are talking about more than five million liters of water that can be used for all uses and, in this particular case -that is what they were designed for-, for the defense of the forest against fires and for water supply”, he declared. .
The alderman assured that, due to the drought, the Municipality has “continuous monitoring of water levels” and “permanent connection” with the SMAS and Águas do Centro Litoral, to have “that global vision of the territory of which are the most vulnerable places in case of lack of water or rationing”, and expressed great concern with “the non-modification of behavior of the population”.
“There are still a series of habits that have not changed”, such as washing the car every week, watering for a long time in periods in which residual water is optimized or using drinking water for these purposes, he pointed out.
Luís Lopes added that the Municipal Water Management Plan, which includes the construction of water reserves or a leak alert system and the use of other sources for irrigation, registers “a total or partial implementation of the 32 measures, which around 96%”. .
“Twenty of the 32 [medidas] are fully implemented”, he declared, explaining that 11 are partially implemented, such as irrigation control systems or the installation of smart meters by the SMAS, and one of the actions is not implemented, because it has not yet been necessary, “the temporary prohibition of the use of water, as has already happened in some municipalities”.
The mayor added that it was not possible to quantify the water reduction achieved, given the lack of some indicators, but stressed that the measures have repercussions, so “the pressure on good water management”, adjusting the plan if necessary. have water for the needsTo be continue.
Source: Observadora
