Lagoa was the Algarve municipality with the greatest reduction in water consumption in the urban sector, during the year 2023, compared to that recorded in the same period of 2022. The data are from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and were released this Tuesday, January 16, by the municipality.
The numbers reveal that the Municipality of Lagoa reduced the cost of water distributed through the domestic supply network by 3,8%, something that is mainly due to the interventions carried out, such as the implementation of Measurement and Control Zones (ZMC), which made it possible to reduce water losses.
After, last year, having implemented 11 ZMC in the Parish of Porches (a total investment of 600 thousand euros), this municipality is now beginning the second phase of implementation, covering the territory of the Parish of Ferragudo and the Unions of Parishes of Lagoa and Carvoeiro and also Estômbar and Parchal.
In the second phase of this intervention, the focus is on the zone of influence of the Águas do Algarve company's delivery point, the Palmeirinha Reservoir, with the creation of 47 ZMC and seven Controlled Pressure Zones (ZPC), as well as the replacement or renewal of some conducts, essential to the network control process.
This is an intervention financed 100% by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with a cost of over 1 million and seven hundred thousand euros and an expected duration of 12 months.
The financing results from an application by the Municipality of Lagoa to the PRR, «within the framework of Financing Notice nº 2/C09-i01-01/2023, which had strategic relevance, within the scope of the sub-measure of the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan (PREH) – SM1 – Reduce water losses in the urban sector and prioritized in Component C9 – Water Management of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of Portugal, as well as in the Action Program for Adaptation to Climate Change (P-3AC) and in the PGRH of the Algarve's riverbanks, in the support plans for the Urban Water Cycle (PENSAAR2020) and in the National Program for the Efficient Use of Water», emphasizes the municipality in a note.
According to the Municipality of Lagoa, it is interventions like these that have contributed to «the reduction in occurrences of supply failures, unbilled water, and real and apparent losses of water, water imported by the system and to the change of quality assessment of relevant ERSAR indicators”.
In a note, the Municipality of Lagoa emphasizes that «controlling water losses is fundamental to improving the efficiency of supply networks, ensuring long-term environmental and social sustainability».
«The core component of addressing the problem of losses is the sectorization of the supply network. Network sectorization, although it does not directly incorporate loss control itself, is essential for knowing the spatial distribution of real losses. It thus constitutes the starting point for the application of other methods, such as pressure management and techniques for locating and repairing leaks», the municipality also states.
«This is a fundamental intervention to continue reducing water losses in the municipality, despite having little visibility. The results of the APA demonstrate that we are on the right track and we will continue to work on replacing the main water supply pipes and implementing measures that help us achieve our objective», stated Luís Encarnação, president of the Lagoa Chamber.
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