The Communist Party in the Algarve has questioned the Environment Ministry on the loss of up to 6 million cubic metres of drinking water a year.
On June 26th this year, a delegation from the Communist Party, including the omnipresent MP, Paulo Sá, visited the Águas do Algarve water treatment plants in Alcantarilha and Tavira.
At a meeting with water company directors, the delegation was informed that the 12-kilometre-long connection between the Funcho dam and the Alcantarilha treatment and distribution centre, has several leaks.
From one damaged section, the water loss has been 6 million cubic metres per year, a loss of almost 10%. Mysteriously, the remaining leaks were not quantified.
This situation has been going on for years, said the delegation, and the repairs simply have not been carried out by the Portuguese Environment Agency which is responsible for maintaining this link that is essential for local farmers.
The local land owners’ irrigation association petitioned the Environment Agency in October 2014 for authorisation to take from an alternative supply running into Alcantarilha, but no connection has been authorised and the €6.5 million project remains a leaking and expensive white elephant.
Paulo Sá questioned the Minister of the Environment, wanting to know how he justified doing nothing to fix a pipeline that has not worked for years and leaks up to 6 million cubic metres of water per annum.
Another question is, why does it take the intervention of a local MP to point out that the Environment Agency has not done its job.This should be the task of the struggling Minister for the Environment, João Matos Fernandes.
While we wait, 16,000 m3 are wasted each day from just one leak.
Minister of the Environment, João Matos Fernandes
