Águas do Alto Alentejo aims to save “around 10 billion litres of drinking water”
Water utility company Águas do Alto Alentejo (AAA), in Portalegre district, has detected 272 leaks and 64 offences related to water meters since the beginning of September, the company revealed today.
In a statement, the company explains that the data refers to the first few months of implementing an eight-year water efficiency project with pay for performance, in order to help reduce water losses.
“From September 8 to the end of January 2025, 268 kilometres of pipelines were surveyed to detect active leaks,” reads the note.
The survey “covered 66% of the distribution network and 59% of the existing branches: 272 leaks were detected, 161 of which have already been repaired, with a response efficiency of almost 60%”.
Created in 2022, AAA manages low-level water and sanitation in 10 of the 15 districts of Portalegre (Alter do Chão, Arronches, Castelo de Vide, Crato, Fronteira, Gavião, Marvão, Nisa, Ponte de Sor and Sousel).
Of the 64 meter offences detected, 43 have already been resolved – a response efficiency of 67.2%.
The analysis carried out as part of the project also enabled the company to discover that “six meters were inactive and that there were 12 illicit connections” (people/ properties receiving water without paying for it).
Chairman of AAA, Hugo Hilario – also the mayor of Ponte de Sor – expresses his intention to continue “maximising” the region’s water resources through this project, in order to benefit customers.
“The initial results show the impact that this innovative project can have over the coming years,” he said.
The project, representing an investment of €6 million, has been developed in partnership with the INDAQUA Group.
Over its eight years of implementation, AAA aims to ensure savings of “around 10 billion litres of drinking water”, the equivalent of “4,000 Olympic swimming pools”, and to guarantee sustainability benefits of “more than €6 million not wasted”, the statement concludes.
LUSA
