Alcoutim council has commissioned work to lay 21 kilometres of new water pipes to reach many outlying villages that currently use wells and boreholes for their supply.
The investment of around €1 million comes under the amusingly named, PO SEUR scheme (Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources), and will take mains water to Alcaria Alta, Azinhal, Castelhanos, Diogo Dias, Fonte Zambujo, Fonte Zambujo de Cima, Laborato, Martim Longo, Pão Duro, Pessegueiro, Tacões, Tremelgo de Baixo and Tremelgo de Cima.
The network of supply pipes will be linked to the Águas do Algarve pan-Algarve Multi-municipal Water Supply System for the Algarve and will be supplied by the Odeleite and Beliche reservoirs.
The benefits to the inhabitants will be reliable, clean water and to the environment, less extraction of ground water from thousands of tube wells.
The downside is the cost to those residents who currently pay nothing to the water company as they have no mains supply. There is a huge benefit to those trying to sell village properties in this area of the eastern Algarve as now they can add ‘mains water’ to the property description.
The council commented that "This is a large investment, under the policy for the creation of water supply infrastructure, mainly the improvement of its quality by creating about 21 kilometers of new pipes."
"In addition to improving the living conditions of the resident population, the realisation of these projects represents an undeniable improvement to the Alcoutim area, acting to attract new residents and as a boost to the local economy, especially in the tourism sector," said the council.
