Brincat warns on negative effect on acquifier

Opposition spokesman on the environment Leo Brincat spoke at length on the management of fresh water and warned that climate change would change the quality and the quantity of water available, affecting the aquifer.

Speaking during the debate on Mepa's The State of the Environment Report - 2008, Mr Brincat said there was an unclear demarcation between the roles of Mepa and the Malta Resources Authority with respect to management of fresh water.

It was alarming that more than half of the water produced by the Water Services Corporation remained unbilled and asked what was being done for the extraction of groundwater by private companies.

On the storm water project, he asked whether the government was going for a culvert system without giving proper attention to the harvesting of rainwater. He said that there were serious doubts on the feasibility of such a project as regards EU funding.

Was over extraction of water to continue? It had been said that Malta was the European country which had the highest water over-extraction without replenishing it in time. He called for the implementation of the recommendations made by the Auditor General on alternative energy and not to prolong further the introduction of feed-in tariffs.

It paid to have a clear picture of the state of valleys as they collected biodiversity and needed adequate protection and management.

He pointed out that 18 cattle farms had been closed down because they were not compliant, but the true extent of the effect of farming on water quality was not being adequately addressed.

He agreed with Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco (responsible for Mepa) that it would be best to reach higher than the minimum requirements established by EU directives. However, the government was struggling to reach even these minimum requirements. In this respect, he mentioned the Water Framework Directive on which a strategy was needed, and called for the publication by the government of its short- and long-term plans.

Mr Brincat also asked whether any measures were being implemented at tertiary level education on climate change. He acknowledged that one of Malta's biggest challenges was to attain decoupling between the increase in economic activity and the increase in greenhouse gases.

Although development on adoption of climate was in its beginning on an EU level, Malta needed to crystallise its position. It was also necessary to establish Malta's status on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

He agreed with the report's recommendation that climate change measures needed to be mainstreamed across all policy sectors. The government had to come up with incentives on land use.

Mr Brincat called for details on the implementation of the 2007-13 rural development strategy and for information on the financial capacity and the human resources of the government, private entities and Mepa on afforestation.

Heritage remained under threat, and the government needed to address the situation of scheduled properties as well as restoration and regeneration of heritage sites.

Turning to geological issues, Mr Brincat asked where the traditional geological survey of Malta was. What about soil management? What expertise did the government have to ensure effective soil management? If quality and fertility of soil continued to wane, this would affect agriculture. What plans were on the drawing board? There was a dearth of sampling of lead-polluted soil.

The alarming conclusion that Malta needed to enforce legislation and not build a monitoring procedure was unacceptable. How equipped was the country to have efficient management of the situation?

Mr Brincat said more information on contingency plans on oil spills was needed. One should have a risk assessment in the light of the increase in shipping lanes around Malta.

Malta was to have two marine protected areas. Was this in place, and when had it taken place?

Economic activity was less resource-intensive than before, but it was of concern that the government was relaying on old data. There was a need to have sustainability indicators - and fast!

Labour was cautious on the choice of the wind farm site and agreed with an in-depth study before the government crystallised its position on the issue.

Mr Brincat referred to green jobs and encouraged the government to take on board the input of the education sector and other stakeholders on such jobs. It was important to have a holistic and comprehensive plan on green jobs potential. The ETC report prepared by Prof. Edward Scicluna should serve as a framework for this plan.

The issue of toxic waste had to be treated with urgency. He mentioned the case of a local contractor who was using toxic waste for mixing concrete and said that Mepa had not yet decided on what legal action was to be taken.

He asked whether international public health standards were adhered to in storing and exporting hazardous waste. He was worried that the country did not have a true picture asking what was keeping the government form updating the hazardous waste management 2007 report. Environmental health was the weakest link in environment impact assessments.

Mr Brincat praised the Church environment commission for giving top priority to environmental values in its agenda.

The environment and sustainable development were new components in the Lisbon strategy and it was the government's challenge on how to mould them for the common good. Malta could be turned into a research and development centre on environmental energy increasing the country's EU credentials.

Malta had to be proactive to EU norms for best practice in the sector. The opposition agreed in principle with Gozo as an eco island but the country was still far from implementing this principle.

Mr Brincat called on the government to publish the solid waste management report if no radical changes were made. It was a shame that Mepa had waived 75 per cent of heavy fines imposed on breach of regulations regarding construction and demolition waste because influential people had intervened on the matter.

He called for a discussion within the House Public Accounts Committee on Wasteserv operation requesting also an independent evaluation of the abattoir treatment facility in Marsa. The government was not giving enough importance to environmental education if one excluded efforts made through the Eko-skola initiative. He asked what government policy was on land reclamation.

Mr Brincat spoke on biodiversity and showed concern on that fact that 64 per cent of habitats and 44 per cent of species had an inadequate or a bad conservation status.

Biodiversity was linked to sustainable development in the contest of climate change. It was important that, as other countries, Malta had its own sustainable development indicators.

He asked whether the 2008 Environment Health National Action Plan update was ready. He expected that best practice and basic legislation and standards were applied and enforced on noise abatement. Mr Brincat said the report addressed obesity, which was a national issue needing a holistic plan between the health and the education sectors. A lot was being done already, but efforts must be more persistent and aggressive.

Malta needed to be more active on the natural and economic fronts. The report, which contained an in-depth economic analysis, mentioned more about individual efforts by various ministries, but hardly anything about collective action or awareness. This was an instance where silence was worrying.

What did the stakeholders, including the government, think about the state of the environment? It was good that there was going to be a climate change officer, but this would not be enough. The government would have to stand up and be counted.

A lot was being said about a green economy, but things must go further than just green jobs. What specific plans did the government have?

Mr Brincat said that all mention of sustainable development would remain just talk unless it was followed up with hard facts. The Mepa reform would also help towards this aim, but policies were not the problem. Rather, it was how much those policies had been departed from when it came to implementation. If they were not handled properly, they would remain just thoughts on paper.

It was hoped that more efforts would soon be made to raise public awareness of the environment, as well as the price to be paid if not enough attention was given to the environment and degradation was allowed to continue. The Maltese must learn about the price of inaction, which would be much higher than for taking the right measures.

He agreed with the need for strengthening resources, including how and how much to maximise the deployment of graduates, especially in the scientific sectors, to enhance Malta's environmental structures. The country must not be loathe to seek the help of expertise, even from as far afield as the United States.

Although investment in the environment had increased by 31 per cent from last year, up to 1.5 per cent of the GDP, too much of that investment had gone into waste management. This was impressive, but still left Malta far behind. If the government expected the people to move, it must lead by example in the green agenda.

Mr Brincat said there were a great number of controversial issues even in the reform of Mepa. It was good to hear that many of Malta's environmental infringements at EU level had been addressed, but 31 per cent still emanated from the environmental sector.

There was still a need for a national policy to safeguard the environment, not only in education but also in several other areas. Old methods would continue to reign while the policy was being drawn up. Eventually the government must take full ownership of sustainable development even while disseminating it in public.

Concluding, Mr Brincat said sustainable development would have been reached only with development in the service of the environment, rather than the other way around.