Government mulls scheme to make better use of wells

Cleaning and maintenance of wells was the subject of a new course to be offered by the government’s employment agency, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

“People who own a well can either attend the course or employ someone who attended it to fix their wells,” he told members of the student council at St Clare College’s primary school in San Ġwann.

The students demanded to know what the government was doing to improve the environment.

One student asked whether people were forced to have and use wells.

Mr Pullicino explained that the government was considering the introduction of a scheme to help people repair damaged wells and install pumps so they could use the water.

Students also encouraged him to do something so they could have more open spaces where to play and to help them ensure that their school was more energy efficient.

The minister told them that just around the corner, in Stefanotis Street, the government was converting a plot of disused land into an olive grove with 300 trees. More than 90 residents had adopted a tree, which meant they paid for it and would have their family name attached to it on a plaque.

He said he was having talks with the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools to convert bulbs and neon tubes in schools to energy-saving alternatives. This would save about 40 per cent of the electricity bill.

Parliament was also discussing a Bill on sustainable development and was considering appointing a guardian for future generations. The guardian would safeguard the interests of future generations who often had to pay for the mistakes of their ancestors.

Such mistakes cost money, Mr Pullicino said, mentioning the example of the Magħtab rubbish dump that was being rehabilitated into a park. So far, it had cost €9 million and a further €24 million had still to be spent.

Earlier on, the students took the minister on a brief tour of the school garden to point out a problem: rainwater was not being caught in the school’s two wells. The minister said he referred the matter to the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools to find a solution.

Throughout the event, students wore badges from the Catch the Drop Campaign that aims to raise awareness about the importance of water and not wasting it.