Burst main leaves thousands in Almada without water

A major water main burst in Almada today, cutting supplies in Monte de Caparica, Costa da Caparica and other areas, on top of weeks of recurring outages. Municipal utility SMAS says crews are repairing the rupture but gave no timeline. The disruptions, blamed partly on a heatwave-driven surge in demand and seasonal population growth, have prompted almost 4,000 petition signatures and scrutiny from regulator ERSAR, which has asked SMAS to explain the repeated failures. Protests are planned outside SMAS headquarters and a silent human chain in Costa da Caparica this Wednesday.