Águas do Algarve assured the public today that "there is no asbestos in their infrastructure" and denied that there were any risks to public health after the Left Bloc raised the possible existence of asbestos panels in a treatment plant in Tavira.
The Left Bloc announced that it had "asked the Ministry of the Environment about the possible presence of asbestos in the panels of the settling tanks at the Tavira water treatment plant” a situation that would, if confirmed , "be a clear threat to public health."
But Águas do Algarve, which is responsible for providing water to municipalities and which manages the Tavira plant built in 1998, assured today that it has "a Water safety plan for the entire system" which guarantees "that the water supplied is of excellent quality and does not endanger health."
"Asbestos is a major challenge to public health worldwide, whose effects appear, in most cases, several years after exposure," said the BE in a concerning statement.
In a response Águas do Algarve clarified that its safety plan is "a system of preventive management that aims to minimise all dangers and to ensure water quality through rigorous control at all stages of the water treatment system via continuous monitoring, achieved using the latest technology to ensure the excellent quality of the water provided by the company."
"In the Algarve the quality control of the tap water is performed in accordance with the most stringent criteria of international and national legislation, the guidelines of the World Health Organization, the certification specifications for food safety (ISO 22000) and Product Certification of water for Human Consumption in accordance with the recommendation ERSAR 2/2011, the competent authority " added the water company.
The Tavira plant serves a population of about 460,000 people through subsystems running to Alcoutim, Castro Marim, Faro, Loulé, Olhão, São Brás, Tavira, and Vila Real de Santo António .
The Left Bloc said "There is therefore an urgency to see if these tanks are coated with asbestos panels, as well as what measures the ministry will take to ensure immediate replacement of the panels.”
