INOVA-EM marked the start of the new hydrological year, coinciding with National Water Day on October 1st, with an environmental education activity for 3rd-year students from the Cadima Basic School. The 18 children visited the Olhos da Fervença Intake, a strategic structure for water supply in the municipality of Cantanhede, where they learned about the journey water takes from intake to taps.
The visit was led by the responsible technician from the municipal company's Water and Sanitation Service, who explained to the students how water is captured, treated with quality control, sent for storage, and distributed. Although the water is suitable for consumption upon leaving the intake, it undergoes a chlorine disinfection process as an additional safety measure. The students learned about the different stages of the water supply system and understood the scale of the infrastructure that delivers this essential resource to homes in the municipality.
The initiative aimed to reinforce responsible water usage and sanitation network preservation behaviors among the younger generation. The students demonstrated knowledge about the importance of not wasting water and avoiding placing waste, such as wipes or hair, in the toilet. Simple daily recommendations were also reinforced, such as turning off the tap while brushing teeth and opting for shorter showers. In the environmental education room, they learned that a four-minute shower can consume about 80 liters of water.
“You are the true agents of environmental education,” stated the Chairman of the Board of Directors of INOVA-EM, Pedro Cardoso, addressing the students and teachers. He emphasized the importance of passing on acquired knowledge to families and involving the young in the collective responsibility of “caring for our common home, the planet.” He reinforced that “Marking World Water Day helps us understand that water is an indispensable and limited resource, encouraging everyone to protect it and use it consciously.”
The pedagogical component included experiments and activities led by an INOVA-EM technician, with games and challenges on material density, water states, and curiosities about its importance for life. Currently, INOVA-EM is responsible for the entire process of supplying quality water to the municipality's taps, from intake and treatment to distribution via approximately 600 kilometers of underground pipelines.
