Concern over threats to Malta’s groundwater recently spiked with the report of cow urine leaking from a farm’s cesspit into a valley. The concern is well placed as livestock waste has a high nitrate content – a contaminant found in high levels in Malta’s groundwater. Seepage from illegal discharges of livestock waste can potentially lead to an increase of this contamination.
Groundwater is an important resource locally. Apart from meeting most of agriculture’s water demand, it also used by various industries and forms around 45 per cent of the tap water provided by the Water Services Corporation.
Groundwater is rainwater that permeates the ground and slowly seeps through porous rock until it reaches the aquifer. Since the only local source of groundwater recharge is rainwater, the amount available for human use is limited to the amount of rain recharging the aquifers. Conservative estimates place current groundwater extraction at nearly 50 per cent higher than the safe limit. Over-extraction changes the shape of the aquifer, drawing saltwater and increasing salinity in the remaining groundwater.
Apart from high salinity, Malta’s groundwater is also threatened by excessive nitrates. The latest report from the European Commission shows that 87 per cent of Malta’s groundwater bodies contain one or both of these pollutants to such an extent that groundwater alone no longer meets drinking water standards – it should be pointed out that tap water as supplied by the Water Services Corporations is filtered and mixed with reverse osmosis water to ensure that it is in line with European quality standards.
However, without action which directly and effectively tackles the threats facing Malta’s groundwater, deterioration will continue. The greater the deterioration, the more complicated and costly restoring the aquifers to a good quality will be.
We can all contribute to addressing this challenge. The domestic, hospitality or industrial sector can do little or nothing about nitrate pollution, though they can take very effective direct action to reduce water demand, thus tackling the biggest threat facing Malta’s aquifers. Reducing water demand does not need to involve deprivation. All it involves is ensuring that consumption is efficient.
The Malta Business Bureau’s EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project audited businesses and hotels to find out which water efficient measures worked best locally. When it comes to water, most buildings have a strong element of over-design, leading to wasteful consumption.
Most toilets use between nine and 15 litres of water to flush waste, yet with most models six litres will do the job. The most modern efficient models use just 4.5 litres per flush. Showers and wash-hand basins often give out large volumes of water, yet modern fittings offer the same pressure and sensation for less water consumed. Old fittings can also be fitted with restrictors or aerators to reduce the water volume while maintaining a good flow.
These measures alone would lead to a reduced consumption within the hotels and industrial sectors. Several businesses and hotels are already improving efficiency of their water systems, using these and other water saving measures. Reducing toilet flushing volume and regulating shower and wash-hand basin flow rates are measures which the domestic sector can easily apply.
If just half the population in Malta saved two litres of water every day, the country would reduce its water demand by 142 million litres of water every year through these simple, cheap and easily implemented water saving solutions, which would also slash utility bills.
These measures alone will not solve the threats facing Malta’s groundwater, but they are a good place to start.
A list of water saving solutions may be seen at www.investinginwater.org
gsaliba@mbb.org.mt
www.investinginwater.org
www.mbb.org.mt
The MBB’s EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project receives 50 per cent co-financing under the European Community’s LIFE funding programme, with the ministry responsible for the environment as the main co-financier and further co-financing and sponsorship from Easydry Malta, APS Bank, Island Hotels Group, and MSV LIFE.
Geoffrey Saliba is project manager for the Malta Business Bureau’s EU LIFE+ Investing in Water Project