05/04/2024 – 16:08
With the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul, the mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo (MDB), highlighted late this Saturday morning, 4th, in a press conference, that the concern also extends to the lack of water in the city . Of the six water treatment plants of the Municipal Water and Sewage Department (DMAE) of Porto Alegre, four currently have their operations suspended.
According to the mayor, the DMAE de Ilhas (Ilha da Pintada) water treatment plant stopped operating, seriously affecting the Archipelago area.
The Moinhos de Vento, São João and Tristeza stations, which affect 66 neighborhoods, had already had their operation interrupted by municipal management.
Only the Menino de Deus and Belém Novo stations operate normally.
The climate tragedy has already accounted for 57 deaths, in addition to 67 missing people in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, according to the latest report from the State’s Civil Defense.
“It is essential that there is no waste of water. You can’t waste a glass of water right now. There are thousands of people who don’t have water tanks in the city. It’s almost a decision from the mayor. We will have a serious water problem in the city of Porto Alegre. We are working hard to recover the situation, but when the river is too high, you cannot treat the water”, said Melo.
In the north zone, supplied by the São João station, there are already reports of water shortages, according to Maurício Loss, general director of DMAE. “We are trying to isolate the pumps a little so that we can reconnect mainly the São João station, which supplies the entire northern area of Porto Alegre. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on water rationing”, said Loss.
“As the level of the Guaíba River continues to rise, and our problem is that some of our water collection points are very close to the Guaíba, these points are being flooded, which makes it impossible to capture water for subsequent treatment” , he added.
According to the director of DMAE, the level of Guaíba continues to rise. “There is a prognosis that it could reach 5 and a half meters, despite having reduced the rate of ascent (at the moment it is 2 centimeters per hour), but we still cannot measure how high it could reach,” he said.
“We spare no effort to recover the stations. After the waters subside, it will be necessary to assess the physical and electrical damage. We also ask people who feel threatened to leave their homes as soon as possible, while there is land access. When the water advances, it makes rescue difficult”, added the director of DMAE.
“We are focused on welcoming people, saving lives. We will recover the city because we have joined forces. We have full strength of our own teams and partners serving the population”, added the mayor.
Sarandi Dike
During the press conference, Melo reinforced the warning about the situation at Dique do Sarandi. “After the work carried out on Friday (3), water began to flow over the dike again,” he said. According to the mayor, it is not possible to guarantee whether the dike will break or not. Measures are being taken to prevent the situation from worsening.
The city of Porto Alegre advises that the communities of Asa Branca, Minuano, Vila Elizabeth and Nova Brasília, in the Sarandi region, leave the area. The municipality is arranging the removal of families with support from the Army and Fire Department.
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