Almada water crisis prompts consumer tariff dispute and regulator‑ordered compensation

Consumer group DECO is demanding that residents of Almada be exempt from the water‑availability tariff while supply interruptions continue, saying they are being “double‑penalised” by both the outage and the charge of €2‑8.

The water regulator ERSAR, led by President Vera Eiró, describes the situation as “a crisis sobretudo de gestão” and recommends aggregating municipal water operators to improve resilience. ERSAR has urged the municipal water service SMAS to proactively identify households eligible for compensation under the service‑quality regulations, allowing payments to be credited on the next bill without a prior claim.

Water reserves sit at about 61 % of capacity, with normal service expected only after reaching 80 %. Scheduled cuts have been imposed between 22:00 and 06:00, affecting thousands of customers and sparking street protests in Costa da Caparica.