Águas Públicas da Serra da Estrela (APdSE) will present this Thursday, October 1st, National Water Day, a new Multifunctional Platform. This solution has been developed to enhance operational response capacity and enable the rapid mobilization of resources to locations where water supply needs to be secured or restored.
The presentation will take place in Seia, as part of the National Water Day commemorations, which are being held in the municipality this year. It will be attended by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), José Pimenta Machado.
Developed by APdSE, with support from APA and the Environmental Fund, the new solution is based on a modular concept: using a single transport platform for different equipment and missions, allowing its configuration to be altered according to the needs of each operation. The vehicle can transport a Portable WTP, a 16,000-liter support tank, function as a machine carrier, or accommodate other equipment, with an architecture that allows for future incorporation of new modules.
The main module developed is a Portable WTP (Water Treatment Plant), installed in a 20-foot maritime container, designed to quickly create on-site capacity for producing potable water for human consumption. The unit can produce up to 1,000 m³ of potable water per day — one million liters. This equipment allows for various correction and treatment processes, adapting to the available raw water characteristics and on-site needs. It can operate with a mobile support tank of 16,000 liters and the produced water can be directly injected into a public supply network or used for tanker trucks.
This versatility enables the WTP's use in scenarios of drought, water scarcity, unavailability or contamination of sources, treatment system failures, fires, floods, or other incidents that may temporarily compromise water supply to populations. The concept alters the usual approach, making it possible to bring the potable water production capacity to an available source, rather than relying solely on the continuous transport of treated water.
The Multifunctional Platform is designed to maintain operational capacity even in locations where existing infrastructure may be compromised. For this purpose, it is prepared to have electrical and communication autonomy, reducing dependence on local networks and increasing usability in emergency situations. This autonomy is particularly relevant in extreme scenarios where water supply failure may occur simultaneously with disruptions in power or communication supply.
Complementing the physical component, Hydra Water Intelligence®, a digital platform developed by APdSE, ensures intelligence and monitoring. It allows for the integration of operational data, information, and communications, supporting the monitoring of operations and decision-making. The architecture is also designed so that new modules can benefit from this digital layer, making Hydra Water Intelligence® a transversal element to the future evolution of the Multifunctional Platform.
The designation Multifunctional Platform precisely reflects that the project is not limited to the Portable WTP. The vehicle constitutes the common transport and intervention base. The WTP, support tank, machinery, and future equipment are modules that can be mobilized according to each mission. This approach allows the same resource to be used for different operational needs and simultaneously develop new capabilities progressively without needing a dedicated vehicle for each function.
APdSE thus presents a solution that, through the combination of mobility, modularity, autonomy, potable water production capacity, and digital intelligence, possesses unique characteristics in the country. Developed from the concrete needs of managing supply systems in an extensive, low-density territory, the Multifunctional Platform is designed to meet daily operational needs as well as provide additional capacity for exceptional or emergency situations.
