Water has started returning to the higher areas of the city during the night and morning. The reservoirs continue filling and are expected to be at full capacity by the end of today, as stated by officials.
According to Vítor Correia, the initial problems in the Bragança district were observed early on Monday night, between 21:00 and 22:00, and water supply has yet to be fully restored in some urban areas.
“The water comes from the Azibo reservoir and is supplied by Águas do Norte. The power outage in Macedo de Cavaleiros, where the dam is located, which was only resolved around 23:00 [on Monday], weakened the supply and left the reservoirs depleted,” explained Vítor Correia, adding that consumption continued without replenishment.
After power was restored, water reservoirs began to refill while normal consumption by the population continued.
“There are still some difficulties in supplying water to the higher parts of the city. The reservoirs have been recovering, but they are not yet at optimal levels,” admitted Vítor Correia, assuring that the rest of the district is experiencing normal conditions.
Water is being pumped to the reservoirs “at maximum capacity,” confirmed the official, noting that the Azibo supplies two districts and, in the case of Mirandela, downstream arrival by gravity naturally “takes longer.”
The forecast suggested that water could return by Tuesday dinner time.
With lower consumption overnight and no pipeline damage, which sometimes occurs with pressure fluctuations, it was expected that supply would stabilize, which was fully achieved by this morning.
The municipality of Mirandela has approximately 21,000 inhabitants, according to the latest census data, with more than 11,000 living in the city.
A widespread power outage affected Portugal and Spain on Monday from 11:30, and authorities have yet to provide an explanation.
Airport closures, transportation congestion, traffic jams in major cities, and fuel shortages were among the consequences of the “blackout.”
The electricity distribution network operator E-Redes confirmed on Tuesday morning that service was fully restored and normalized.
