During an executive meeting, the Lousã City Council unanimously approved a proposal for the “exemption of water supply bills, sanitation, and urban solid waste for the critical period of the August fire for families, businesses, and associations with extraordinary water consumption resulting from fire-fighting efforts,” stated the municipality in Coimbra district in a press release.
The council noted that the measure is based on a proposal by APIN – Intermunicipal Environmental Company of Pinhal Interior. This initiative has been previously implemented during the 2022 fires in other municipalities and was coordinated with neighboring municipalities Góis and Pampilhosa da Serra, which adopted similar solutions.
The proposal aims to make the process “as quick and efficient as possible, ensuring simplicity, transparency, and efficiency.”
According to the municipality, when consumers receive bills with water usage from fire-fighting efforts, they should send the document or a copy to a specific email (in**********@******sa.pt) or deliver it in person at the Lousã City Council.
“Subsequently, the municipality will verify if the billing period and location correspond to the days and areas affected. APIN will then proceed with immediate clearance of the document in the system, associating the payment to the municipality so that the bill is recorded as paid and not subject to collection,” it clarified.
If consumers find that the water usage during the fire period was billed, they should submit this information along with the invoice issued by APIN.
The fire that affected Lousã in August is estimated to have consumed about 3,500 hectares.
