Water Policy issued

Joe Tabone

Jun 5th 2012, 21:30

Eddy, what was your contribution to the public consultation?

Paul Giordimaina

Jun 6th 2012, 09:39

We should pass a confidence vote on this one too Sur Privitera because now if you don't agree with something that's what happens.If the PN done the same at your time you would have finished without ministers.( Wistin Sant Holland.Cremona and so on)

J.C. Borg

Jun 5th 2012, 17:22

I wonder why all this worry, the PM in waiting (kwazi PM) has a solution for everything, leave it in his hands.

Marco Cremona

Jun 5th 2012, 18:33

Well said, Godwin.

Although I need to correct you on the details. In 2005, the FAO in collaboration with the Malta Resources Authority issued an excellent document, the Malta Water Resources Review 2006, ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0994e/a0994e.pdf which described all of Malta's water problems in detail and concluded that the biggest problem is that of 'water governance'.

It also called for IMMEDIATE action.

This document presented scenarios which required some tough decisions to be taken by our politicians, such as the curbing of the amount of water consumed by agriculture (to 15 or 21 million m3/year; NSO estimated that crop production consumed 28 million m3/year in 2009) and limiting groundwater extraction to sustainable levels, among others. It also advocated the re-introduction of a water conservation culture, substantiated with aggressive water saving campaigns.

This document was intended to be the basis for the Malta Water Policy to be issued later in 2006.

However our politicians decided to shelf this landmark document and there was NEVER any discussion on the actions/proposals/decisions contained therein. The document was considered to be too politically damaging. So we re-invent the wheel to produce yet another policy document which also lacks measurable targets
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Water-policy-lacks-targets-20120327

Indeed even the National Audit Office was very critical of government when it comes to implementation and enforcement.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120223/local/Water-catchment-plan-risks-missing-EU-target.408051


Since 2006, and in the absence of a holistic comprehensive policy which this water-scarce nation deserved, we invested hundreds of millions of euros in water related infrastructure in the absence of a general comprehensive direction.

The result:

Euro 110 million in sewage treatment plants that cannot recycle water; and Euro 56 million in a Flood Relief project that will channel storm water to the sea in an orderly fashion (no more, no less). Millions of Euros in subsidies to encourage farmers to go for irrigated agriculture, in a situation where there is not enough water to go around.

Buildings continue to be built without cisterns with no clearly identified authority entrusted with enforcement;; irrigation water demand continues to increase and put additional stress on the aquifers;

there is no tracking of drilling rigs in place (so one can assume that drilling is still happening in the cover of darkness); as yet there is no monetary disincentive to limit the pumping from registered boreholes; there is huge uncertainty as to whether water pumped from private boreholes will be charged (and at what price) or not, or whether they will be closed down - leading operators to drill an unregistered borehole as an 'insurance' measure;

nitrate has already contaminated 90% of our groundwater and the nitrate levels are on the increase and will probably continue to increase for the next 40 years or so - even if we completely stop adding more nitrogen to our soils; there is still no regulatory framework in place that limits the importation and amount of fertilisers applied to our fields; the sewage system is known to leak but nobody seems to know by how much;

roadside reservoirs and dams in valleys (total storage capacity : 400,000 m3) have been left in abandon - indeed we do not know which public authority/agency actually owns these assets; we indulge in blatant extravagance of water in government landscaping projects (see the turf and flowers on roundabouts);

there is no clear direction on how/where government intends to use the treated effluent when it comes available (indeed 3 different reports from 3 different authorities/agencies give 3 different and conflicting recommendations but WSC has already submitted a funding application for setting up the infrastructure);

rain drains continue to be illegally connected to the sewage system causing overloading of the sewer network every time it rains; we even don't have a basic law that stipulates that groundwater is a public resource and should be respected as such

...... I could go on and on.

I encourage you to read through the Water Policy document issued today and to try to see whether this document gives you the peace of mind that the issues I have mentioned above will be appropriately addressed within the timeline of the policy.

Roland Wadge

Jun 6th 2012, 14:52

Marco, could you put on a politician's hat for a moment and suggest something which will not lead to our agriculture being not viable, which seems to be your main gripe. Of course i know that every house should have a cistern, indeed every block of flats should have one so that (at the very least) every toilet in that block can be flushed by free water. Are you also saying that the mega project of flood water relief is completely misguided and that is wastfull of public funds and the water resource? What then do you suggest can be Viably done? The accent of this my comment is viability.