The quality of groundwater in Malta is so poor the country will not make the 2015 target set by the EU to improve it.
A water management plan launched yesterday reveals that, in some areas, the level of nitrates is seven times the 50 milligrams per litre target specified by the EU.
The “ambitious” plan, the first of its kind in the Mediterranean, focuses on ways to protect, enhance and improve water in Malta and Gozo. It ties in with the EU Water Framework Directive, which requires states to prepare a management plan for water catchment areas.
Mains water in Malta contains a proportion of reverse osmosis water, produced from the sea, to push the nitrates level below the 50 mg/l standard.
High nitrate levels have been linked to methemoglobinemia in babies and vulnerable adults. In babies, it is known as the blue-baby syndrome, meaning the baby’s blood is unable to carry enough oxygen to body cells and tissue.
A study by the British Geological Survey confirmed what has long been believed: that the nitrates that seep through to the sea level aquifer are the result of fertilisers. However, curbing the use of fertilisers today will only yield results in 40 years’ time because that is how long it takes water to seep through to the aquifer. This is what will make it difficult to achieve the 2027 target for “good status” water in the groundwater bodies – known as Malta Mean Sea Level, Mġarr Wardija perched, Gozo Mean Sea Level and Għajnsielem perched.
In fact, the EU directive takes natural processes into account, meaning the deadline could be pushed back further.
The nitrates problem is being addressed and Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said farmers would be told how and when best to use fertiliser in their fields, such as spreading it in the dry season rather than when it rained.
The long time period needed could be offset if treated sewage being thrown into the sea is found suitable to replenish the water table, increasing the quantity by 11 million cubic metres yearly while diluting the nitrates present.
Quantity is also an issue. All the groundwater reserves, except the Għajnsielem one, are considered to be low and will also skip the deadlines imposed unless Malta switched entirely to RO production. But this would increase carbon dioxide emissions as well as costing households an additional €9 million a year, Mr Pullicino said.
Another problem in water management is flooding. Dams built under British rule have been left to silt up, rendering them practically useless in preventing the accumulation of flood waters in low lying areas.
Mr Pullicino said his ministry was working on cleaning up the dams so they could be put back into use. However, since ecosystems had formed over the years, the ministry now needed guidance and approval from the planning authority to proceed with the cleaning.
A €65 million flood relief project will also be addressing water supplies by doubling the amount of water stored in national reservoirs.
The management plan was launched by the planning and resources authorities on the occasion of the UN World Water Day.
Water is the country’s least available resource. “The European Union considers a water supply of 2,000 cubic metres per capita yearly as ‘very low’. In Malta, we only have 58 cubic metres per capita,” Environment Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said.