Thirsty Malta

In writing this, I took the cue from International Water Day, commemorated on March 22, and from the film Nassiriya aired recently on Italian TV, which provided some eye-opening footage of how the local population was effectively blackmailed by the local warlords through the control of the distribution of freshwater in water-poor Iraq.

Malta can be compared to Iraq when it comes to lack of freshwater resources, as ranked by FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) and Eurostat recently.

As highlighted in the recent APS seminar on "Safeguarding water resources in the Maltese Islands", reported extensively by Anne Zammit (The Sunday Times, March 11), groundwater resources in Malta are waning fast. In fact, according to the FAO Website, "groundwater depletion does in fact take place, especially when one considers that there is significant extraction from illegal and unregistered wells". The latter, in fact, are said to extract more groundwater than the WSC itself, in what surely is an untenable situation - 17.5 million m3 compared to 15.5 million m3.

Despite this, Minister Ninu Zammit went on record stating that the gap between extraction and refill amounts to one million m3, ignoring the fact that at the current rate of extraction saltwater intrusion is taking place.

Some of Catherine Polidano's questions to the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) in her article "Water crisis" (The Times, Februay 20) touch a raw nerve, indeed since they are relevant to each of us:

How many water boreholes are registered with the MRA or other entity? How many illegal boreholes are estimated to be in operation? How many of the private water suppliers advertised in the Yellow Pages directory are registered with the MRA and the Public Health Department? Does the MRA issue permits for the drilling of boreholes, and the extraction and selling of water? If yes, how much does the MRA charge for such a permit? Is the legally extracted water being metered? And if so, are extractors required to pay according to the amount of water extracted?

When a permit for water extraction is issued, do the authorities specify the maximum permissible amount of water that borehole extractors may extract periodically? Or can you extract as much as you want if you have a permit for a borehole? How many persons does the MRA employ specifically to inspect registered boreholes and investigate potential illegal water extraction? When will the government adopt a national water policy?

In the absence of stringent groundwater monitoring, the Water Services Corporation's efforts (such as the reduction in water consumption in recent years from 54 million to about 31 million m3 a year due to control of water leakages in the distribution system or the announced revamp of the RO plants), laudable as they are, are certainly not enough.

Against this backdrop, it is hard to fathom why Peter Axisa, president of the Ta' Qali Producers' Group, is vehemently opposed to farmers being taxed for the groundwater they pump up, justifying his stance by stating that "Even if farmers were charged for pumping water, this will not solve the problem, as farmers would still be depleting the water table." (MaltaToday, February 11).

Solutions do exist, as highlighted by engineer Marco Cremona in the same article - potable water should no longer be so heavily subsidised by Government, especially when its price in neighbouring countries, such as Tunisia, has shot up recently. Also, second-class water from the three sewage treatment plants being built or in the offing should not be channelled into the sea but should be distributed to farmers or used for groundwater recharge purposes.

The Cyprus Mail, of February 18, referring to the measures introduced by the Cypriot government on February 1 to tackle the water shortage on the island, reported that Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou was adamant that government subsidies to the public to dig their own boreholes were the right way forward to solve immediate, short-term and long-term problems.

"The government, in its attempts to create incentives for people to save drinking water, has decided to provide £400 subsidies to people drilling a borehole in residential areas and £400 for connecting boreholes to lavatories," the minister said earlier this month.

US embassies go green

The inclusion in this column of March 25 of a photo depicting the large area of land handed over for the new US Embassy at Ta' Qali warranted a detailed reply from the US Embassy, which stressed the following points:

The proposed US Embassy cartilage will span over committed footprint only;

In the clearing of the site, alien trees such as eucalytpus and acacia were uprooted, as well as the old, tumble-down election counting halls which were roofed with hazardous asbestos;

While about 45 per cent of the former site comprised buildings, only 16 per cent of the US Embassy site will actually be built;

Height guidelines stipulated in the revised Ta' Qali Action Plan are adhered to in the design, not obstructing views of Mdina;

A whole gamut of indigenous trees will be employed in the landscaping of the whole compound which will complement the Ta' Qali afforestation project on the opposite side of the road;

The whole compound is punctuated with energy- and water-conservation measures, such as a water-collection system, a screening system which maximises use of daylight and cuts down on use of electricity, etc.

As reported by ABC News on March 20, the US administration is banking heavily on the positive message that its embassies can convey to local societies by assuming an eco-friendly image - such a strategy has been branded 'eco-diplomacy'. General Charles E. Williams, director of all US Embassies at the US State Department, states that "we are not just building structures around the word - we are building compounds that meet the security and sustainability standards and connect well with the populations that surround us."

The US embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, is one of the most recent examples of this eco-diplomacy drive, by cutting down its overall water consumption by 21 per cent and its energy costs by 30 per cent - these targets were achieved through the installation of a high-efficiency irrigation system and of 99.9 per cent efficient heap-filters, and the use of electric impulses to treat effluents prior to discharge, etc.

As a result, the Sofia embassy has been designated a green building and awarded the green certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

Another US embassy which merits a mention is the one in Geneva, Switzerland, which was fitted with about 950 m2 of solar panels along its roof.

Who can stop the Works Division?

Although the Works Division as been rapped quite strongly by MEPA's Audit Office in two circumstances over its tactics at Wied Babu and despite ECF00756/06 being issued for the illegal works started in Novmeber-December at Wied Hoxt close by, it seems that the same division is bent on defying environmental legislation.

In fact, it seems that works have resumed on the site, even if no permits have been issued for the proposed works. Can MEPA pull its socks up this time round and avoid another scolding from its Audit Officer before being forced to take action?

Still the EU's laggard on global warming

The dire need for enforcement pervades all aspects of environmental legislation, including the one addressing energy efficiency of buildings. As rightly underscored by an article in MaltaToday (March 18) titled "No enforcement of energy conservation regulations", to meet Malta's EU obligations, the government introduced stringent conditions on new building permits in November, setting limits on the space occupied by windows (i.e. windows should only occupy 20 per cent of exposed walls of residential buildings, 25 per cent of offices and 50 per cent of showrooms) and obliging every new building to have a well or a water cistern.

According to the new rules, all new buildings have to be designed and built to secure the conservation of fuel and power by limiting heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, and to incorporate proper storage for rainwater run off. By introducing this law, the government fulfilled its obligation to honour the EU directive on energy efficiency of buildings, which came into force on January 4, 2003.

The directive is considered a very important legislative component of energy efficiency activities of the EU, designed to meet Kyoto Protocol commitments.

Despite the posturing, however, no official monitoring body has been appointed to oversee the implementation of such measures. MEPA insists that such monitoring does not fall within its remit, saying the MRA is responsible. Sharing the bottom place with Cyprus, the lowest use of renewable energy use, our country again deserves the wooden spoon when it comes to addressing global warming issues.

Xrobb l-Ghagin - another nature reserve in the making

After the closing down in 1996 of the Deutsche Welle relay station at Xrobb l-Ghagin, l/o Marsaxlokk, the prime coastal area on site was earmarked by Nature Trust (Malta), the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment, and the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Physics of the University of Malta as a tailor-made site for their environmental and research interests. In fact, funds from three different entities - European Environmental Agency (EEA), the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the HSBC Cares for the Environment Fund (HCEF) were obtained for the development of a nature park and a sustainable development centre.

The entire site is certainly not a mere pocket, covering an area of 155,950 m2 within a Scheduled Area of Ecological Importance (AEI). The multifarious project will include the restoration of the coastal steppe and garigue, the planting of about 15,000 indigenous trees, the use of current facilities for environmental education and recreation, the development of a water treatment system so that water from sewage can be utilised for irrigation purposes, the installation of PV cells and wind turbines and even a Marine Rehabilitation Centre and a Wildlife Clinic to be developed jointly with International Animal Rescue (IAR).

This is environmental collaboration at its best, with different entities joining hands for a common cause.

Wied Qirda dam update

Regarding the impromptu concrete 'dam' built across Wied Qirda and which was featured in this column a few months ago, an enforcement notice ECF 212/07 was issued against the interested parties since the works (access road/dam) across an SAC valley were unauthorised.

alpra1@mail.global.net.mt; alan.deidun@um.edu.mt; deidunfever@yahoo.co.uk