Social networks have been abuzz with information circulating that there is a bacteria in the waters of the municipalities of Oeiras and Cascais. This has even led some people to stop consuming tap water, as information states that water causes serious gastroenteritis. But is this really true?
Is there a bacteria in the waters of the municipalities of Oeiras and Cascais?
You need to be very careful with information on the Internet. Especially because some of them are simply false. This is exactly what is happening with this information that is circulating. This has even led SIMAS, the organization that manages water in these councils, to issue a statement that we reproduce below.
“The Intermunicipal Water and Sanitation Services of Oeiras and Amadora (SIMAS) clarify that the information spread on social media regarding the supposed detection of a bacteria in the waters of the municipalities of Oeiras and Cascais, allegedly responsible for cases of gastroenteritis, is false.
No contamination was detected in the water supplied to our residents and there is no recommendation to avoid drinking tap water.
The quality of the water supplied by SIMAS is rigorously monitored, in accordance with the safety and quality standards established by the SIMAS Oeiras and Amadora Water Safety Plan and international guidelines. We assure our residents that tap water is safe for consumption.
We understand the concern that such fake news can generate and we reinforce our commitment to providing clear and transparent information. We encourage residents to use official sources of information and to contact us directly if they have any questions.”
In other words, the water that comes out of the tap in these councils is completely safe and can be drunk without any worries.
But there is something else you need to be careful about!
It all starts with checking the water meter but quickly turns into something very different. The employee's identification can be from SIMAS or EPAL, but you have to be very careful. So, if you don't want to incur large expenses, be very careful when they knock on your door to count the water. Especially when they talk about analyzing.
Danger! Be careful if they ask you to check your water meter!
The method is simple. First, users receive contact from an official organization linked to water distribution. They then indicate that for health reasons the water will have to be analyzed. In some cases the visit is scheduled and in others they appear at the door without warning. Either way, the truth is that the principle is the same. Entering homes under the pretext of collecting water for analysis. All of this is solely for the purpose of selling very high value filters, as revealed by SIMAS.
Therefore, immediately ignore this type of approach, even if it indicates that it is an official organization serving another.
This type of scheme is quite common and covers several different areas. In many cases they use other pretexts such as checking the electricity bill and other schemes.
Regarding the situation related to water, SIMAS stated that all water collections and analyzes are carried out exclusively by the Water Quality Control Division, not granting any company the right to represent for this purpose. It should also be noted that the services do not contact customers unless they themselves request some type of clarification or service.
In the case of EPAL, perhaps because the cases are recent, there is still no information from the company.
For any questions or information, please contact the SIMAS Customer Support Line via telephone: 211 146 011 (weekdays between 8:30 am and 8:30 pm) or the Water Quality Control Division via telephone 214 460 230 (weekdays between 8:30am and 4:30pm).