Water failures cause growing anger // Rental overhaul sparks serious opposition // Volta side-effect leaves streets filthy
Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Water failures cause growing anger
Residents of Almada, south of Lisbon, will have to wait another week or two for their water supply to return fully to normal as the government and council rush to fix major issues, Público reports. Frustration grew throughout last week as hours-long cuts to supply came without warning on multiple days, particularly in Costa da Caparica. About 1500 people protested the situation in front of the water supply officer last week and demanded Mayor Inês de Medeiros’s (PS) resignation. She and Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho (PSD) blamed an “unexpected” and “unforeseeable” increase in consumption. The problems, of which there were already symptoms last year, occurred following an intense heatwave in an area that normally gets busy in summer. The health minister said usage had increased to 400 litres per inhabitant, compared to the national average of 180, while the mayor said most of the increase did not come from ruptures in the water network. A situation of alert was declared on Wednesday as water was cut deliberately overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in 15 localities to help replenish the supply. A new bore was connected over the weekend to increase supply but da Graça Carvalho said “mid-term” solutions were still being worked out to make the system more resilient. Speaking last week, she said the situation should improve every day but would not be “completely restored” for two to three weeks.
Improvements made over weekend
Almada’s Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) said there were no unexpected cuts to water over the weekend, helped by the new borehole connected to the network, Lusa reports. SMAS president Luís Palma said they were adding about 120 cubic metres of water to the network per hour and that he had no information corroborating complaints of low pressure from some residents. The Almada council said there would be water restrictions — including bans on watering gardens, washing vehicles and using beach showers (full list in PDF in Portuguese) — in place while the state of alert remained in place. It’s currently scheduled to last until July 31 and overnight water cuts are expected over the coming days in several suburbs including Charneca de Caparica, Trafaria and Monte da Caparica (full list here in Portuguese).
Council accused of underinvestment
Da Graça Carvalho accused the Almada council of not having made the necessary investments in its water supply infrastructure, Lusa reports. The health minister said municipalities were responsible for their water supply systems and said the council should have applied for funding. De Medeiros rejected accusations the council had reacted too slowly to the crisis, and hit back at the minister, calling her “badly advised and badly informed”, Expresso reports. The Ombudsman’s Office is investigating the supply shortages following complaints from residents and consumer protection association DECO, Lusa reports, in English. Experts told Expresso the supply shortages exposed the fragilities of a system under pressure from increased consumption and many other issues. They pointed to groundwater extraction limitations, ageing infrastructure, increased demand, over-exploitation of the aquifer and insufficient knowledge about its actual state. The European Commission has been pushing local and national authorities to “reform” the water sector for months, highlighting waste and other serious inefficiencies and arguing the cost of water is so low as to be “counterproductive,” Diário de Notícias reports.
