Coca-Cola today promoted its investment in water conservation measures in Gozo through a grant of US$800,000 (€576,000) to the Alter Aqua Programme.

The programme has also received US$440,000 (Eur 317,000) from the Gozo Ministry to increase water conservation measures on the sister island.

Alter Aqua is a multi-stakeholder, two-phase programme which has brought together the Gozo Ministry, the Eco-Gozo Project, the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean, the Coca-Cola Foundation and General Soft Drinks, the local bottling partner of all brands of The Coca-Cola Company in Malta.

The details were released during a press conference in Gozo today, addressed also by Gozo Minister Anton Refalo who arrived more than 30 minutes late to launch the conference.

The aim of the Alter Aqua programme is to harvest rainwater, manage storm water and reuse grey water in selected public buildings and areas, while increasing public awareness on the importance of responsible water use and conservation.

The Alter Aqua Programme says it uses a holistic approach to pursue its main aim to secure water availability and facilitate sustainable development. Yet, one of its main partners, General Soft Drinks, is notorious for extracting water from the public aquifer free of charge.

This allows the company a competitive advantage over other bottling companies in Malta who pay for their most important asset – water.

Katerina Kypreou, from the Coca Cola Foundation, acknowledged the importance of the availability of clean water to community health.

She said: “ Access to clean water is one of the most important parameters to community health. We strongly believe that the sustainability of our business is directly connected with the sustainability of the community we serve. Water is the ingredient in all our products. By 2020, our aim is to return back to the global community the amount of water we use in all our beverages”.

Freshwater resources in Malta have been at a critical stage for years with 13 out of 15 groundwater bodies having nitrate levels above permissible levels.

Overextraction of water from the aquifer increases the salinity of this limited resource that is essential for desalination processes carried out by the Water Services Corporation to supply the island with tap water.

Coca-Cola’s vision will be achieved six years from now – a period of time that raises concerns on whether the country can continue to provide the company with free access to a public resource that is scarce.

The projects of the Alter Aqua programme, while positive, do not match the amount of water the company extracts to produce and sell its beverages.

During phase one of the Alter Aqua programme, four rainwater harvesting systems were installed in schools in Kerċem, Sannat, Żebbuġ and Għarb; six rainwater harvesting systems were reinstated in schools in Sannat, Xagħra, San Lawrenz – each school can hope to harvest 100 -150 cubic metres of water.

A grey water reuse system was installed at the Gozo Football Stadium and a storm water management application was implemented in Ramla Valley where rubble walls were constructed along the valley. The Ramla Bay project will allow approximately 6,000 cubic metres of water to flow through the valley for people to use as secondary water, for irrigation purposes.

Approximately 3,200 students were educated about sustainable water management and consumption and 255 teachers and 48 technicians were trained. Eighteen stakeholders participated in the capacity-building workshops.

Dr Refalo said the Alter Aqua programme “fits perfectly with the government’s vision toward a sustainable island”. He said Eco Gozo was not just a brand, but a new way of looking at Gozo and its future.

“The Ministry for Gozo has implemented and shall continue with the implementation of activities aimed at increasing the island’s rainwater harvesting potential through the cleaning of valleys and the reinstatement of reservoirs,” Dr Refalo said, who refrained from addressing the continued abstraction of a public resource for free from a profit-making company.

The Alter Aqua programme activities are implemented in collaboration with Nature Trust Malta, the Ekoskola Programme and the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development. Phase two of the project will be launched tomorrow.