A letter from the board of SPOA to "The News"
Salinas Property Owners Association
Apartado 3863
8135-912 Almancil
Algarve, Portugal
Dear Sir,
With great interest, we read the article “Portugal urged to recognize clean water as human right” in your issue of March 24-2007. We are the Quinta das Salinas Property Owners Association (SPOA). Quinta das Salinas is an urbanization on the southwest border of Quinta do Lago, with approximately 70 villas and 50 apartments. It is part of the municipality of Loulé.
We, the board of the SPOA have been complaining with the developer of Quinta das Salinas, Mr. Raymond van Gelder, for a number of years about the quality of the water he supplies. Various tests have shown that the water is not suitable for human consumption and is a serious health hazard. The board even possesses a letter from the Loulé Health Department from May- 8 -2006 in which he is warned about the quality of the water but Mr. van Gelder has consistently refused to install the necessary filters to overcome this problem.
This all culminated in a letter Mr. van Gelder wrote to the Camara in Loulé last year in which he informed the Camara that he no longer could accept responsibility for the quality of water he supplied to the villas and apartments.
In 21st century Western Europe you would expect the Camara to act immediately and attempt to remedy this serious situation, either themselves or by forcing Mr. van Gelder to do so.
You would not be more wrong! No action or even reaction to Mr. van Gelder´s letter. It is as if the Camara feels that if people are foolish enough to own some property in the Algarve; it is their problem!!!
Obviously, we as the board of the SPOA have tried to find a solution and have had several discussions with InfraQuinta (a private company in which the Camara of Loulé owns 51% of the shares). InfraQuinta supplies good quality water to our neighbours Quinta do Lago and Salinas Country Club. Initially the negotiations with InfraQuinta appeared to go in the right direction (we could all become members of InfraQuinta; 90% of all Salinas owners confirmed in writing that they would do so. InfraQuinta would supply water –repair roads- collect rubbish- all at conditions we accepted), but found that the closer we came to a solution the further we got away from finding one. For every solution a new problem arose. Although there is a possible connection between Quinta das Salinas and the InfraQuinta water supply pipe no further than 15 meters away, we seem further away from a solution month by month. One of the problems we are hearing now for about 5 months is “there are administrative difficulties “(initially there appeared to be “technical problems” but they have all been solved).
In the meantime, approaching Easter with some 450/500 people occupying Quinta das Salinas, Mr. van Gelder, the Camara and InfraQuinta seem not to be interested for one bit in a possible health hazard and other problems (rusting pipes and boilers, dying plants) as a result of the use of suspicious water. It is also more than remarkable that none of the “duties of care” Mr. van Gelder as a developer has towards Quinta das Salinas (roads-sewage-water) have ever been fulfilled over the years and this all apparently, with the blessing of the camara.
We hope that the publication of this “cry for help” may warn persons intending to invest in the area between Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, but even better, contribute to solving A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
The Board of SPOA
