Businessman Andy Andrade warns of the critical water supply situation and questions the halt in the investment of more than 700 million escudos
Cidade de Nova Sintra, May 30, 2026 (Bravanews) - The shortage of drinking water and water for personal hygiene has reached alarming levels, generating a wave of concern among the population and the business class. In a forceful outburst on social media, businessman Andy Andrade made public the seriousness of the crisis, classifying the current situation as "critical" and pointing the finger at the stagnation of strong public investment that should mitigate the problem. According to the businessman, a structuring project budgeted at 700 million Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) has been completely paralyzed for over a year, depriving the island of a lasting water supply solution.
According to Andy Andrade's statement, the crisis has already gone beyond the lack of drinking water, severely affecting basic daily needs, stressing that the biggest problem at the moment is water for personal hygiene, which has a direct impact on the dignity and public health of residents. To illustrate the scale of the problem, Andrade recalled a remarkable episode that took place during an official visit by the President of the Republic to the island last November. According to the story, the severe shortage did not even spare the presidential entourage, exposing the region's logistical fragility, as the head of state was forced to disembark carrying 10-liter bottles of water for his own consumption, while tanker trucks had to be mobilized to guarantee the minimum conditions for the entourage's personal hygiene.
The businessman's complaint exposes the feeling of frustration at the slowness of the political and infrastructural responses, since, several months after the Presidential visit and the successive appeals from the local community, the island remains under an "SOS alert" in terms of access to drinking water. The stalling of the 700 million escudos investment is seen by civil society and the private sector as the main obstacle to resolving the crisis. The stalemate in the execution of this important investment prolongs the ordeal of families and conditions economic development, in a country where tourism and local commerce depend heavily on the stability of basic services.
Andy Andrade's position echoes widespread discontent and puts added pressure on the government and municipal authorities. With the infrastructure at a standstill and the population dependent on temporary and expensive solutions - such as tanker trucks - demands are multiplying for clarification on where the funding is going and for urgent measures to remove the island from the state of water emergency.
MS
