Almada, Portugal, July 6, 2026 (Lusa) - The head of Almada’s Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS), on the south bank of the River Tagus in the Portuguese capital, said on Monday that the current water supply crisis in the district is expected to stabilise this month with two new water extraction wells.

“We already have one new well in operation, and we will have another one this year, which will go a long way towards resolving this issue. We are therefore forecasting that the situation will be resolved by July,” he said.

Luís Palma, who is also a CDU councillor on the Almada city council, was speaking to the media minutes after receiving a delegation from a citizens’ group that had gathered outside SMAS today to demand that the problem be resolved.

He initially attempted to speak with the protesters, who were holding placards demanding restoration of the service – which has suffered cuts in various areas of the district in recent days – but the heated atmosphere meant that this explanation was ultimately given during a meeting with members of the Movimento Futuro da Costa, which had organised the protest, inside the SMAS premises, followed by a press conference.

Speaking to journalists, Luís Palma explained that SMAS’s strategic plan aims to bring about a tangible improvement in the water supply in the district of Almada by the first quarter of 2027, pending granting of licences by the Environment Agency for three new water wells, in addition to a further three which are currently at the planning stage.

“We therefore expect that, as part of the plan, we will have more water extraction wells in the first quarter of next year, which will greatly assist with water distribution,” he said.

The water currently being supplied, he added, is less than current consumption, with 93% of Almada’s boreholes located in the district of Seixal (28 out of a total of 32).

However, he explained, the borehole that has now come into operation was drilled in the district of Almada.

Luís Palma also said that the current SMAS management team took office in December 2025, following the local elections, and began implementing the budget and the plan approved by the municipal bodies and the board of directors from February onwards.

The initial work, he explained, involved consulting staff from the various departments to assess which works were most urgent within the water distribution system, water abstraction, reservoirs and other infrastructure projects, which also feed into and support the network.

“This plan does exist and, therefore, we are currently six months into its implementation; and when people say there is no plan, it does exist, it is being implemented and it takes time,” he said, adding that, as a result of this plan, a new water abstraction well is already operational and another will come online shortly.

In recent days, residents of various areas in the district of Almada have reported repeated water cuts, and a petition has been launched which has already gathered more than 4,000 signatures, in which the petitioners are demanding urgent measures to minimise the impact of the water shortage.

The petitioners are also calling for urgent action to resolve this problem as quickly as possible and express their “deep concern and outrage at the frequent interruptions to the water supply” which have affected parts of the district, particularly Costa da Caparica, Sobreda and Capuchos.

The petition explains that “for several weeks now, thousands of residents and business owners have been facing recurring water cuts, often lasting for hours on end and frequently at critical times of the day, particularly in the late afternoon and early evening, when most families return home and need to use this essential service”.

This situation, they state, has caused serious inconvenience to the public, preventing basic and essential daily activities such as showering or preparing meals, as well as hindering the normal operation of commercial establishments.

The Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR) has requested clarification from Almada’s Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS), following complaints addressed to it.

The Futuro da Costa Movement, which stood in the last local elections, announced a protest rally to be held this morning outside SMAS Almada, whilst social media is publicising a silent human chain to be held on Wednesday 8 July in Costa da Caparica, calling for an urgent resolution to the water shortage.

GC/AYLS // AYLS

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