Almada, Portugal, July 9, 2026 (Lusa) - Around 1,500 people have taken part in a protest against the water shortage in Costa da Caparica, on the south bank of the River Tagus in the region of the Portuguese capital, demanding solutions to the problem and calling for the resignation of the local mayor, Inês de Medeiros.

The people had initially planned to form a human chain, but the protest eventually took the form of a march between the O Pescador shopping centre and the roundabout leading to the IC21, under the watchful eye of a heavy GNR presence on Wednesday.

“Inês out, Almada isn’t yours” was one of the many slogans directed at the Mayor of Almada, Inês de Medeiros (PS), whom the protesters hold responsible for the water shortage in the municipality in the district of Setúbal.

For João Paulo, a resident of Santo António da Caparica, the water shortage in recent weeks has been “unbearable”.

“When people have to get up early to go to work and find there’s not a drop of water coming from the tap, it becomes unbearable. It highlights the incompetence of the Almada council,” he said.

He also accused the council of failing to make use of European funds earmarked for improving the water supply network.

“The council knew that European Union funding was available to replace and improve the water distribution system, yet it failed to do so, either through negligence or incompetence,” he maintained.

Asked what he expects to happen following the protest, João Paulo argued that Inês de Medeiros is no longer fit to remain in office.

“She should resign, or the leader of the Socialist Party should withdraw his political confidence in her,” he said.

Márcia Tavares, who has lived in Costa da Caparica for around 30 years, acknowledged that occasional water shortages are tolerable, but considers the current situation to be unacceptable.

“It’s a disgrace. We’ve had days on end without water, with temperatures of 30 and 40°C, and no one is offering an explanation or taking responsibility,” she said, adding that the water shortage has worsened in recent weeks.

“There are children, elderly people and care homes without water. We just want a solution. We’re not asking for anything out of the ordinary, just water, which is an essential commodity,” she said.

She also criticised the management of the water supply, arguing that, if cuts were unavoidable, they should be phased in across the district.

For Ana Paula Gonçalves, a resident of Costa da Caparica, it is a nightmare to leave work not knowing whether she will have water to shower at home.

“The pipes have been in a state of disrepair for many years. Now they say they’re going to drill boreholes, but that won’t solve everything. If they really wanted to, they’d ask a neighbouring district for water,” she said.

As for Maria Manuela, aged 80, who has lived in Costa da Caparica all her life, she insists she has never experienced anything like this before.

“I’ve never been through this before. In the past, when there was a burst pipe, they’d repair it and within five or six hours we’d have water again. Now it’s too much,” she said.

The elderly woman also said that she lies awake at night “waiting to hear the cistern fill up” and lamented the difficulties caused by the lack of water supply.

Paulo Muacho, the Livre MP elected for Setúbal, who was present at the protest, said he was in Costa da Caparica to show “solidarity with the public and demand explanations” from the authorities responsible.

“These people have been without water for several days and need a response from the authorities. The problem must be resolved urgently,” he said.

Paulo Muacho also revealed that the Livre party has already requested parliamentary hearings with the Mayor of Almada, the chairman of Almada’s Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS) and the Regulatory Authority for Water and Waste Services (ERSAR), to investigate the causes of the repeated supply failures.

Also present at the protest, Fabian Figueiredo, an MP for the Left Bloc, expressed solidarity with the affected people and argued that the situation requires a swift response from the relevant authorities.

The MP also argued that it is necessary to investigate the causes of the supply failures, ensure transparency in the information provided to residents and speed up the investments needed to ensure that situations of this nature do not recur, emphasising that “access to water is a fundamental right”.

GR/AYLS // AYLS

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