Over the weekend, it was announced that municipalities across the Algarve will raise water tariffs by 15% to 50% from March onwards, for the 2nd tier of consumption upwards.
Algarve municipalities are obliged to reach the target of 15% in reducing water consumption, established by the Government, and fines will be applied in cases where uses considered excessive persist.
On the other hand, municipalities that, for the second consecutive month, do not reduce consumption, suffer a reduction in its water supplied, which means that there will be less water available through the taps of their resident’s houses.
You can check your current invoice to see which tier of consumption you are in. The tiers are not the same in all municipalities, but, in general, consumption is distributed as follows:
First tier: up to 5m3 of consumption per month. Exempt from price rise.
Second tier: between 5 and 15m3 of monthly consumption. Covers the majority of domestic consumers. Price rise will be 15%.
Third tier: goes from 15 to 25m3 of consumption. Price rise will be 30%.
Fourth tier: consumption above 25m3. Price will be up to 50%.
A 15% raise will be applied to non-domestic consumption - hotels, commerce and industry - regardless of water consumption historic data.
The president of the association of the 16 Algarve municipalities said that "Of course, not all municipalities agree, because some already have higher levels of efficiency", but the measure was approved, and of the 16 Algarve municipalities, only Silves expressed their intention not to implement it.
In addition to raising price, municipalities are already implementing a series of other measures, with a view to reducing water consumption, such as reducing watering in green spaces, washing streets and the operating time of fountains, among others.
They are also, under the PRR program (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência), carrying out rehabilitation works on the water supply pipelines, with the aim of reducing water losses along the distribution system.
How can you save water?
Small changes in behaviour can make a big difference in your bills at the end of the month and also contribute to taking care of the health of our planet. Don't forget that preserving a resource as important as water is everyone's responsibility so are the suggestions that you can and should put into practice from today.
Minimize water use in the kitchen
According to Deco Proteste , there are several strategies to save on daily water consumption in the kitchen. One of them is during meal preparation, for example, when you need to wash vegetables or fruit, avoid leaving the tap open for a long time as much as possible.
The same applies in cases where you need to wash the dishes by hand. The suggestion is to fill the sink bowl and place the dishes with detergent in the bowl, instead of leaving the water running.
If you use the dishwasher more, you should avoid pre-wash cycles and only use wash cycles with a full load. In addition, you should also opt for eco programs. These programs allow you to save around 20% in water and also 25% in electricity compared to the main programs (auto, normal or universal).
Zero waste in the bathroom
This is the room in the house where, most likely, the most water is used. According to Deco Proteste, a family of three people, each of whom takes a ten minute shower every day, can involve water consumption of between 5,400 and 18,000 litres per month.
The first tip is to reduce shower time. If you take a 5 minute shower, instead of 10, and turn off the tap while soaping your body and washing your hair, water savings in your home could reach 100,000 litres per year.
Another tip when it comes to bathing is, while waiting for the hot water to arrive, collect the first shower water in a bucket and use it to flush the toilet, wash the floor or water the plants.
It is also important to ensure that there is no water leakage from the taps or toilet cistern.
And, speaking of flush toilets, if possible, get one with double flushing, as they allow for greater savings. If this is not possible, choose to reduce the filling level by adjusting the plastic screw that controls the float, and only perform complete flushes when necessary.
Transform your garden into a sustainable place
If you have a house with outdoor space and have made it into a garden, or simply have some plants, choose to water them at night. This year, even now, the temperatures are starting to approach those usual in spring and, therefore, watering the garden plants in the cooler hours avoids losses due to evaporation. It is also important to water only the root area and not the leaves.
If you have an automatic irrigation system, you can install moisture sensors in the soil, which detect when it is necessary to activate automatic irrigation. You can and should also turn off the automatic system when it rains.
Another piece of advice is, in the months with higher temperatures, not to cut the grass too short, to allow the soil to remain moist for longer, avoiding waste in watering.
Sources AMAL and https://postal.pt/ - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
