EXCLUSIVE By PAULO SILVESTRE paulo.silvestre@theresidentgroup.com
Residents from several villages in the Silves area have expressed their anger over constant cuts in their water supply and what they say is a lack of action by the local council.
They claim the shortages, which are due to repair work to stop leaks in the water supply system, have been going on for almost two months.
One of the residents, who asked not to be named, said: “When the water is cut, I have called Silves Câmara only to be told that there is a problem and they do not know when it will be sorted.”
He added: “They are busy repairing the water line between Algoz and Alcantarilha Gare and every day they turn the water off from about 6.30am, before most people have been able to take a shower. I have a little bit of water for about an hour or two during the day but there is not enough pressure and, therefore, my boiler, dishwasher and washing machine do not work. They put the water on again at about midnight, when I am sleeping and obviously cannot take a a shower at this time.”
Another resident, who also asked for his name to be withheld, told the Algarve Resident: “It is also particularly difficult when you have children to get up and ready for school in the morning.
“The only explanation that the Water and Sanitation Services of Silves Câmara gave to us was that we have to wait a while for pressure. I have waited until midnight for pressure but nothing happened.”
He added: “They have said that they have repaired the line between Silves and Algoz 75 times and when I asked them if it would be cheaper to replace the line completely with new pipes, they just said that the Municipality of Silves does not have the money.”
Stone Age
Another resident of the area, who also asked not to be named, said: “This is one of the reasons why Portugal is in crisis. Silves Câmara does not give a **** about people who live here. We are in the 21st century but, sometimes, living here feels like we are back in the Stone Age, when cavemen had to get water from the rivers to have a bath.
“The pipes cannot handle the water pressure because they are too old and break. The most alarming thing is that no notice is given to the residents when cutting the water. I have lived here for 12 years and in the last month-and-a-half we have had water cuts every other day.”
A spokesman for the Water and Sanitation Service of Silves Câmara told the Algarve Resident that “the pipes are 10 years old and are overloaded with leaks,” but declined to comment further.
Rogério Pinto, vice-president of Silves Câmara and responsible for Planning and Urban Management, said: “The water pipe in question, which goes from Figueiral to Algoz, is giving us many problems due to the bad condition of the material. We are taking all possible measures to resolve the problem quickly.
“We are finding alternatives to the water supply in that area and we have already put a new pipe in that is supplying water without any kind of problem, in the village of Fonte de Louzeiros. Our technicians are carrying out a study to prevent more leaks in the water supply in the Figueiral-Algoz area, especially Sobrado, Caravela and Mesquita. I apologise to the residents for what is happening. We are trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and I hope that by the start of the summer, the situation will be totally back to normal.”
Do you have a view on this story? Please email Editor Inês Lopes at ines.lopes@theresidentgroup.com
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