At least five municipalities admit to reducing or even partially cutting off the water supply to the population overnight if the situation of scarcity persists. According to Jornal de Notícias, the municipalities of Manteigas, Mangualde, São Pedro do Sul, Tabuaço and Vale de Cambra will consider this measure if the situation continues.
To Rádio Observador, the mayor of Vale de Cambra, José Pinheiro, confirms that, although the municipality is not yet at that stage, this is a measure that is being considered and that the next 15 days will be decisive to take action.
Obviously we are considering it, because we are aware of what is, at this moment, the dramatic situation that the country is going through. We have verified that the water table levels are decreasing considerably, surface water does not exist and consumption is maintained. We have felt that people have had some sense of consumption, but we have not completely ruled out this possibility, although it is not yet in an implementation stage”, explains the mayor of Vale de Cambra.
Cutting off the water supply at night, explains José Pinheiro, means “restricting consumption at night and ensuring that the reservoirs can be filled at night so that there is water for the population during the day.”
Also in Mangualde this is an option under analysis: “Given the scenario we are going through, it is an issue that is always on the table. We are taking all measures to prevent this situation from happening”, the mayor, Marco Almeida, stressed to Rádio Observador, adding that the municipality is carrying out an awareness campaign to reduce daily water consumption.
Of the 36 municipalities contacted by the JN, the majority requested a general containment of water consumption, with assumptions of prohibition of consumption of the public network for the irrigation of gardens and orchards, cleaning of sidewalks, patios and public spaces or irrigation of gardens and orchards. In the case of Vale de Cambra, the mayor told Rádio Observador, reducing the irrigation of public spaces was one of the measures already taken.
There are also 23 municipalities that have already had to resort supplying towns with tanker trucks. In the Trás-os-Montes region, more than 50 towns are receiving water this way. The same happens in Alentejo: in Aljustrel, Mértola and Moura, Alcácer do Sal and Santiago do Cacém and Montemor-o-Novo. In Mangualde, the municipality also had to make this decision, carrying out the daily transport of water to three parishes, in a total of six towns.
Other municipalities they have already threatened with heavy fines anyone who uses public water to irrigate gardens or orchards. This was the case in Vimioso, where the municipality imposed fines of up to 3,740 euros for individuals and 44,890 euros for legal entities.
The Câmara da Pesqueira warned that the interruption of the supply of the Ranhados reservoir, which also serves Mêda and Foz Côa, will occur at the beginning of September if the daily consumption of 640 liters is maintained, “when the desirable level would be 200”.
On July 31, reports the JN, all hydrographic basins had reduced the volume of water compared to the last day of June. Only the Ave basin exceeded the mean and the Cávado (36.4%), Mira (37.2%) and Sado (41.1%) basins had the lowest values.
Source: Observadora
