Threat of water running out
That certainly was the week that was. It ended with a political bang even if the powder making it had been visible for some time. It consists of one in, another probably out, as reported by The Sunday Times.
The newspaper speculated that former Labour leader and Prime Minister Alfred Sant will not contest the coming general election.
He did not confirm, saying his decision would be in the interest of the Labour Party.
That was an atypically loose way of putting it. It implies that it would be in the interest of the PL if Dr Sant did not contest.
I do not agree. He is an excellent MP whose rather rare incursions into the public debate are always incisive.
And he has scrupulously avoided Dom Mintoff’s mistake of getting in the current leader’s hair.
The opposite news came as a definite from Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil. In an interview he confirmed that he would be contesting the general election after all. His leader had persuaded him in a recent meeting.
Busuttil’s self-confidence tends to make him seem big-headed. When his interviewer pointed out that he was moving in when the polls were showing a near certain defeat for the PN, he jauntily replied: “I hope I’ll be able to reverse that.”
Not the best way to put it, but the man is good, well-rounded and popular, so why bother to be too modest.
The outlook already is for a changed House of Representatives with a number of new faces on either side of the divide. Each passing week will confirm that.
Yet, for me, the most important news last week concerned plans to appoint two important overseers.
Leader of the House Tonio Borg put forward a White Paper to shake up the House of Representatives, making it more autonomous, accountable and respectable.
In addition to new powers to for the Speaker, the White Paper proposes a commissioner for standards with the power to investigate cases of alleged misbehaviour, unethical behaviour and abuse of parliamentary privilege by MPs.
The commissioner, subject to election and removal by a two-thirds majority, would also be empowered to propose penalties, leaving the decision to the House itself. Irrespective of whether the details may be changed, the proposal is good. It is unlikely to clear House approval in this legislature, but it should certainly be early work for the next one.
A proposal of a different kind but, to me, even more important than the White Paper, was made by hydrologist Marco Cremona during a conference organised by the GWU and the Anti Poverty Forum about the availability of water as a human right.
The hydrologist spoke in the wake of SOS Malta CEO Claudia Taylor East. Her warning, not a new one, was grim. If Malta does not sustain its water resources and runs out of water in 15 years’ time, we’ll end up a least developed country, she said.
Cremona agreed with the 15-year disaster line. Water scarcity was persistent, he said.
Pointing out the irony in the situation, he added that we do not have the necessary infrastructure to collect rainwater and keep it from running to the sea, while at the same time we’re taking water from the sea to convert it into usable water.
Within 15 years Malta may depend completely on the reverse osmosis system.
What, then, to do? Cremona has put forward a number of answers over the years.
This time he called for an autonomous regulator with enough executive and enforcement power to ensure there is enough water to satisfy our obligations to respect the human right to water.
No doubt the political manifestos of the political parties will include a section on water conservation. The PN will be hard-pressed to explain why it did zilch about the water supply and flooding over all of 25 years. The PL will be critical and bullish.
I suggest to both that, to be credible, they take Cremona’s proposals on board for early action, together with other serious measures, in the new legislature.
Whoever wins, whoever serves us as our MP, water sustainability will remain the first infrastructural priority of the island. We cannot waste more time to get cracking.
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Gianninu Saliba
Sep 17th 2012, 20:31
Lino Spiteri rightly says: "the availability of water is a human right". Lino, this right was denied to us three or for days a week, when you were a Minister... and you have a cheek to say that over all of the past 25 years the PN did zilch. You are unreal, the PN more than doubled the availability of water since Mintoff's days in government. Please, do not say that I am reviving the past and that the PN wants to live in the part. It was you who mentioned the past, but failed short of mentioning "the good old days" of the 70s and 80s. I do not blame you, you must be so embarrassed about your Party's years in government. Where I do wholeheartedly agree with you is that the M LP will be critical (as always, with no solutions) and bullish (maybe you wanted to say bully-ish, since we recently saw the thugs coming out for your Mintoff's funeral, just like slugs do after the first rain). I have always believed that as we get older we get wiser, but Lino, dear Lino, even here you failed miserably... you had your chance, but you blew it.
Francis Sammut
Sep 17th 2012, 13:31
Minister Tonio Borg's White Paper speaks of alleged misbehaviour, unethical behaviour, accountability and abuse of Parliamentary privilege, among ther things. May I ask the minister, where will this take us, and does it go far enough in making sure that the govenment of the day does not overstep his authority as for instance happened when it decided unitarily to give a pay increase to its Cabinet of 600 euros a week! Or when out of the blue, Parliament decided that an MP would be entited to a pension after serving just 5 years in Parliament, instead of two! Or when the Prime Minister, for reasons known to all, decided to appoint Parliamentary assistants form among the government back benchers costing the Maltese taxpayers an extra 550 euros a month, each! The Paper would be a serious one if it covers the MP's accountability of say when for instance, for no valid reason, they do not attend for Parliamnetary sessions, as it happens with many of them. The many extra privileges that come with being an MP is a disgrace and an insult to our poor and small island state, with no rescources whatsoever. To mind comes the long Summer holidays which our MP's are entitled to which incidentally is unique to Malta Parliament. If the White Paper doesn't tackle these issues, which I doubt very much, then Tonio Borg's White Paper would be a futile and white wash exercise
Marco Cremona
Sep 17th 2012, 12:46
Lino Spiteri,
I thank you in my own personal capacity and on behalf of the Malta Water Association for dedicating space in your column to the water issue, which should indeed be a priority for the country (but isn't).
You say "No doubt the political manifestos of the political parties will include a section on water conservation. I suggest to both that, to be credible, they take Cremona’s proposals on board for early action, together with other serious measures, in the new legislature."
On this point, the Malta Water Association (of which I am Secretary General) has prepared a document called "Recommendations to Political Parties" which was presented to the three political parties more than a month ago.
We use this opportunity to appeal to the political parties to review and discuss the document within their structures and in the preparation of their electoral manifestos.
The document may be downloaded from our website www.maltawater.org
John Azzopoardi
Sep 17th 2012, 11:51
This is a world wide phenomena. I grew up hearing this in my younger days. In Malta, we could actually do something about this problem, but we don't. When rain comes,we lose all the water to the sea because it is not gathered properly.
Mark. Galea
Sep 17th 2012, 09:25
Well, PL has the best solution - lower the price of water so that we can exhaust it earlier
Lino Fava
Sep 17th 2012, 16:50
We don't use water for nothing. We use water for hygenic needs and to keep environment clean. It is better to see who is wasting water or who is escaping the WSC bills. I find it difficult that a Villa/ household has the same bill of one living in a flat. See that everyone who has a possibility for a well has one or government help them to have one. Gass, water and electricity are utilities that we can't do without them. Yes we need to lower prices for these needs.
J Martinelli
Sep 18th 2012, 16:17
@ Lino Fava
Then how did we manage when we had no water at the taps and when we had some trickle, here and there, it was brown because of rusted water mains due to intermittent shutoffs, all in the golden Socialist years? How come we had tourists protesting because they had no water in their hotel rooms? How come Mintoff's suggestion was to bathe in the sea? How long has it been since you depended on a water tanker, once in a while, topping your rooftop water tank?
Ing Cremona's concern is real but calculating the 15 year doomsday is subject to questioning. I remember in the mid-70s the prediction that the oil supply will be depleted by the end if the century. Well, it didn't, however well intentioned and meticulous the calculations were made by the so called 'experts'. If they were to be believed, what is Malta thinking when it comes to oil exploration? All we will come up with is dry holes!
To respond to Lino Spiteri's allegations that for 25 years the NP governments did nothing, may I remind him of the miles of water mains crisscrossing the country which had to be replaced due to the negligence of 16 years of Socialist rule during which time he was minister, and the construction of reverse osmosis plants in order to have an adequate supply of drinkable, clear water?
How many bore-holes were drilled in Mintoff's time, pumped dry and thus lowering the water table? What actions, if any, were taken to replenish the aquifer?
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