Olhão locals recently have put up with 'the Berlin Wall', 'Pina's Erection,' the scheduled removal of the waterfront parks and a constant flow of raw sewage into the fishing harbour but all focus now is on a city water tower which gives the appearance of being on the point of rupture and collapse.
Olhão council has stated that there is no risk associated with the cracked and discoloured tower that locals reckon is dangerous after years of zero investment.
Mayor, António Pina, (pictured) said the population is “ignorant of what is happening,” and that matters are in hand to fix up the concrete tower, in fact a company already has been selected to carry out the work.
The mayor says that, "we have been monitoring the situation very closely" and the water company Ambiolhão explained that the 70-year-old tower has had some maintenance in the past decades, but did not offer any dates.
Ambiolhão agrees that the structure and the pipework all need sorting out, with the water tank a priority.”
A contract for the work has been awarded to Hubel Indústria de Água e Obras Públicas, S.A., for the "remodeling of the hydraulic component of the reservoir" and the replacement of the associated pipes already has started.
Ambiolhão said “the estimated cost of this project is around €74,000” and does admit that things are looking worse and worse, "in recent weeks, the situation of the tank has been slightly aggravated, with water seepage at some points," but that an expert was brought in to give the all clear that the tower’s tank was not going to burst.
In conclusion, Ambiolhão states that, "there is no risk."
Local blog Olhão Livre says the situation is the result of years of no investment, with Pina controlling both the water company and the council and always seeking temporary solutions to the water and sewage systems, neither of which do credit to the city.
“The deposit serves the majority of the population of Olhão and if the worst happens, a significant part of the city will be deprived of the water supply for a long time,” states Olhão Livre which points out the damage that will be caused should the structure fail and that mayor Pina “is allergic to issues that relate to the safety of people.”
The clock is ticking, the tower is leaking and the mayor is up for relection on October 1st. Meanwhile, the sewage continues to flow into the Ria Formosa, perhaps most notably near the ferry terminal ticket office, as if were perfectly legal and acceptable to Portugal's waterways in this way.
Mayor Pina has set as target for "a substantial reduction, or even total reduction" of the illegal discharge of human waste into the Ria Formosa over "the next four years."
This lamentable comment being sufficient for many local voters to question what the Council has been doing in the previous four years and whether and how the money set aside to solve this problem has been spent.
