Marinha Grande Left Dry by Cable Thieves: What to Do Now

The Marinha Grande Municipal Council has pinned the district’s water outage on the large-scale theft of power cables, forcing thousands of residents to queue at public fountains and scramble for bottled supplies.

Why This Matters

• Water pressure may remain unstable for at least 48 hours while emergency crews re-wire generators.

• Fuel stations and pump houses are now under armed patrol by the Portugal Public Security Police (PSP) and National Republican Guard (GNR).

• Businesses that cannot operate because of the outage can apply for short-term wage-support under the extraordinary weather-damage scheme.

• Reporting a suspected cable theft earns a fast-track service call from the council’s water contractor and may shorten neighbourhood outages by several hours.

How the Taps Ran Dry

The coastal glass-making town spent the weekend recovering from Storm Kristin, which toppled power lines and left critical pumps running on diesel generators. Thieves exploited the blackout to strip copper-rich cables that connect those generators to the main pumping station in Casal da Conceição. Without the wiring, the generators could not kick in, and by dawn the reservoirs that feed the urban network had lost operating pressure.

A Pattern Spreading Across Portugal

Cable theft is hardly new, yet energy infrastructure is now a prime target. Data gathered by the Portugal Electric-Vehicle Users Association show that more than 720 charging cables were stolen nationwide between April and September last year—roughly one every six hours. Similar raids on pumping stations cut water to Porto de Mós in January and to parts of Ribatejo last autumn. Police say the resale value of stripped copper—about €7 per kilogram—continues to attract organised crews.

The Security Response

The Portugal Public Security Police reinforced its Marinha Grande precinct with officers from Lisbon, Aveiro and Vila Real. Meanwhile, the National Republican Guard set up mobile checkpoints on the N242 to intercept vans leaving the district with scrap metal. Fuel depots, telecom hubs and the council’s main water tower are on a 24-hour watch list. Mayor Paulo Vicente told local radio that “every meter of new cable is now tracked, tagged and photographed” before installation.

What This Means for Residents

Power will come and go while technicians splice replacement lines. During these windows:• Keep 5–10 litres of drinking water per person at home; pressure drops can happen with ten minutes’ notice.• Avoid running dishwashers or washing machines until the council issues an all-clear—rapid pressure changes can rupture household pipes.• If you see exposed wiring, call 800 100 275 (free, 24/7). Verified tips leading to recovery of stolen material qualify for a €50 council voucher, roughly a week’s groceries.• Small businesses that lose revenue can file for “apoio extraordinário” wage-support on the Social Security portal within five days.

Longer-Term Fixes Under Discussion

Engineering advisers hired by the council propose swapping copper for aluminium cabling, which is eight times less attractive to thieves yet carries the same current needed for pumps. Another option under study is burying the power lines inside concrete-filled trenches—a costlier but theft-proof solution already used at railway signalling points. Both measures could be green-lighted under emergency procurement rules that let municipalities bypass normal tender timelines.

The Bigger Picture for National Infrastructure

With climate-driven storms hitting harder, Portugal’s utility networks are operating closer to the edge. Civil-protection planners argue that classifying cable theft as a crime against critical infrastructure—with heavier sentences—would send a stronger deterrent signal. Until then, councils will likely lean on a blend of IoT sensors, rapid-response security teams and public tip-offs to keep the lights, and the water, flowing.