Dear Editor,
I was surprised to see such an important article about the Algarve’s precarious water situation only on page 17 of the Resident (August 13). Water is life – surely it is an issue that should cause concern and a change in our behaviour.
We see so much water waste, not only from private homes but also hotels and municipal areas. Yes, sprinklers on in the middle of the day where the water evaporates before it touches the ground. Watering the road, and the grass being cut too short in the heat. We even have a bombeiro living in our street and his sprinklers do a great job of watering the asphalt.
It is a pity that the article did not include more ways to save water. There are many other things we can do as well as shorter showers. For example, washing the car with a hosepipe uses approximately 480 litres and a bucket about 30 litres.
We make all the water that comes out the tap do at least two jobs in our house. We have bowls in every sink and a bucket in the kitchen and bathroom. The shower water flushes the WC or washes the windscreen of the car. The kitchen water goes on the plants; they love it, it’s like liquid fertiliser. So not only do we save water, we save money too.
A desalination plant at first seems a great idea, but it is very expensive to build, expensive to maintain and run, and it has concentrated brine and toxic chemicals as a by-product. It is also disgusting to drink…
Patricia Solomou, Portimão
