en 
At least five municipalities admit to considering reducing
or even partially cutting off the water supply to the population overnight if
the drought situation persists. According to Jornal de Notícias, the councils
of Manteigas, Mangualde, São Pedro do Sul, Tabuaço and Vale de Cambra will
consider this measure if the situation continues.
Mayor of Vale de Cambra, José Pinheiro, told Rádio
Observador that although the municipality is not yet at this stage, this is a
measure that is being considered and the next 15 days will be decisive in
taking action.
“Obviously we are considering it, because we are aware of the
dramatic situation that the country is going through. We have verified that the
water tables are decreasing considerably, surface waters do not exist and consumption
has been maintained”, 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 fill during the 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”, stressed mayor,
Marco Almeida, adding that the municipality is carrying out an awareness
campaign to reduce the daily consumption of water.
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Português (Brasil)
Horrible! After the most intense months of rainfall (it was like England this March and April in the central Algarve with really heavy rain), instead of stopping the water leaks and setting up desalination plants, they want to stop our water?
Let me guess, the reason to stop the water at night (when very few people are using it), is to limit the losses of all the water leaking!
I would like to see the official numbers of how much water is being sent down the pipes and how much actual water arrives, that is the total water that arrives at the water meters. The difference will be the leaks.
Any investigative journalist wants to take this up?
Is there even "freedom of information" in this country where the councils etc have to provide this information when asked?
By Michael Blesh from Algarve on 04 Aug 2022, 23:52
I saw this coming and it's going to be in every county soon; then they'll be certain daytime hours of restrictions. Cutting back is not the answer. Watering golf courses, waterparks, washing cars, both public and private water displays (fountains,) avocados, high maintenance fruits, eucalyptus trees that steal huge amounts of water are all a present place to cut back but it's not the answer. We need to use salt water for desalinization plants like Israel's 2200. I may stand corrected but I believe I read here Portugal has only 12! Work an "action plan" now as it's only going to get worse; DON'T WAIT until it's too late. The grand tourist industry you have now will wilt and die like a plant that doesn't get water.
By Wesley from USA on 05 Aug 2022, 03:09
“Overnight water supply”: maybe next we´re going to be asked to take a 1 shower a week, lol; return to the potty, because using a normal toilet uses water?? All this while Municipal Pools have been closed, but Hotels will not close their swimming pools, nor will Golf courses cease to work/exist, will they? And the tip by Deco to save h2o that infuriated me the other day. Putting a 1,5liter bottle inside the toilet h20 deposit to save some h2o in each flush: applicable when the flushers were these articulated-plastic-arm-type mechanism that meant that all you had to do was to lift the deposit lid, and then pull this articulated-plastic-arm and flush even if the button was broken and you were waiting for s.o. to come over to fix it. Now, though? Not available, so you have to put a new model one. The new ones are awful, if you lift the deposit lid, because they´re so stuck on inside, you run the risk of…breaking your flusher, yourself, which is great for plumbers and toilet-flushing-device sellers! I wanted the old model but was told I couldn´t get it anymore. So there you go. REALISTIC tips are likelier to be followed. What I do now is flush after each number2, and after two pees, as I have to wipe my pee with 3 toilet paper squares-minimum required for wiping pee without getting it on my hand. If I have to flush more than 2 pees then the paper might not go. So please Deco, it´s not enough to say things that look sensible on paper, they need to be sensible and possible to do in practice. In this h2o matter I feel everybody “talks” the “talk”, but they´re actually clueless about the “walk”.
By guida from Lisbon on 05 Aug 2022, 04:34
Do they not think that people will fill baths , containers, tanks etc and then empty them in the morning , this is what they do in the richest parts of Mumbai, Bollywood Heights
So where is the water saving exercise actually saving water?
By Tracy from Other on 06 Aug 2022, 13:27