Farmer calls for urgent intervention to save project threatened by water shortage
A farmer from the town of Lém, on the Brava, today called on the authorities to intervene urgently to resolve the lack of water which, he said, threatens the continuity of his farming project. of his farming project.
Gabriel Correia told Inforpress that he faces difficulties in accessing water to supply the agricultural and livestock farm he runs in Covada, a situation which, he reported, is already causing losses in production and the death of animals.
The farmer explained that he received support from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment for the installation of a drip irrigation system and benefited from a 50 percent contribution from the Brava Municipal Council for the purchase of the necessary materials.
According to him, the project became possible after a citizen living in the United States made a large plot of land available to him in Covada.
Despite the investments made, he said that he is still not connected to the water supply network, after having requested the service from the ÁguaBrava company.
"All I needed was water. I went to ÁguaBrava to request a connection to bring my project to life, but they told me to wait," he said.
Gabriel Correia said that, in order to move forward with the activity, he took out a bank loan of 200,000 escudos and started buying water via tanker trucks, hoping that the connection to the network would be made.
However, according to him, the situation remains unresolved.
"I've even asked to be supplied with water from the normal network, so that I could pay for consumption like any other citizen, but so far nothing has happened," he lamented.
The farmer acknowledged that the island is going through a situation of water scarcity, but questioned the lack of an alternative to ensure the minimum necessary to maintain agricultural activity and save the animals.
Gabriel Correia also said that the Mayor of Brava and the Minister for Agriculture and the Environment were aware of the investment, and that the latter had visited the project site.
Despite this, he considered that the lack of access to water remains the main obstacle to the development of the initiative.
In view of the situation, he called for the intervention of the Brava City Council, the government and the ÁguaBrava company to prevent the total loss of the investment.
"It's sad to see an investment with the potential to succeed, with all the materials already installed, come to a standstill just because of a lack of water. I need help to save my project," he said.
In his opinion, difficulties like this contribute to young people abandoning the island and discourage local entrepreneurship.
"Life is getting harder and harder in Brava. Often the doors are closed to young people who want to work and create opportunities," he concluded.
