Saturday, 13th September 2008
Better late than never
One of the main issues which the Nationalist Party addressed during the past week in preparation for the Independence Day Celebrations was the environment. Amongst the themes raised and tackled by the Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, on this issue was that of the use of alternative energy. In a nutshell Dr Gonzi said that his Government would be prioritising the use of alternative energy sources
This is very welcome news.
However, it must be said that, sadly, this is yet another area where Dr Gonzi has had to start from scratch and do what previous PN Governments failed to deliver.
The use of alternative energy was in fact one of the innovative proposals which the PN had made in its electoral manifesto for the 1987 election. In fact in Section III (20) under the sub-title Public utilities will serve you the PN had promised 21 years ago that, “We look for alternative energy”. The PN promised not only to invest in research on the use and application of solar, wind and wave energy but also to encourage their use through fiscal incentives.
Ironically, the PN in government only got as far as building the new power station in Delimara and did not do much, if anything tangible, at all on the use of alternative energy sources. As a matter of fact, in its 1998 electoral manifesto the PN once more promised fiscal incentives for those who converted their homes to the use of solar energy and transferred the extra energy thus generated to the Enemalta grid. (Point 172, p. 23).
While the PN in government has gone some way towards this goal with some incentives for those who use solar water heaters it is a generally accepted fact that this has come nowhere near enough what is needed in order to make Malta and Gozo more eco-friendly.
So yes, the Prime Minister’s pronouncements this week about prioritizing the use of alternative sources of energy are very welcome indeed. I am use that, in an ever more eco-conscious society, they will be supported by everyone. I am also sure that everyone will be hoping that Dr Gonzi will devote a lot of time, energy and attention to achieving this goal in the shortest time possible because we are, as a country already rather late in the take up of alternative energy sources. I am also sure, however, that everybody also agrees that in this case it is also better late than never.
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Comments
I am angry with myself. It seems that you are my friend, not me. I suggest that by you accepting the fact that there is going to be a PN Government for the next 4 years or so will go a long way in helping you along the way. Il-Lallu, I think you can manage that.
In regards to my Chinese reference, I stand by that. In the early 70's there were Chinese personnel that where carrying out feasible studies if a bridge could be build.
I agree with you that the use of wood, all things considered, would be less harmful to the environment. Where I do disagree with is how the building of a Gambling casino or two on Comino is going to benefit the environment or the eco system on Comino. It would be interesting to know your rational in this regards.
Do you know the S.A.B.E.N.A. Air Line story ?
God knows how many Visitors / Tourists ( and residents) are repeating it daily
on their humpy-dumpy bus rides.....Such A bloody Experience Never Again !
Paceville?.....Pax has left...... should be renamed Drumville.
@ Joe Vella. Why are you so angry with yourself, people do make mistakes, it would not be such a bad idea to forget about your Chinese gaffe my good friend and move on.
During the process of any discussion, blogs not excluded, contributors tend to lose sight of the theme and deviate from the subject.....cabbages and kings. The post that you quoted is typical because I am not different in that regard.
My reminder that the subject matter here is alternative energy was a mere emphasis that the use of wood, all things considered, would be less harmful to the environment and definitely not a tick off. Now relax, reread the item in question and this time you would agree with me.
I am still waiting to hear from you to tell me how the building of a Gambling casino or two on Comino is going to contribute towards the goal of increasing the energy supply tfrom alternative energy sources or even better how your BRILIANT idea is going to contribute towards preserving the ego systime on Comino.
I suggest that before you give advice is to take it yourself. The following is your post in this blog. Can you entertain me and tell me how it relates to alternative energy.
This is your post; "A notorious radio talk show caller was barred from most radio stations in Malta because he became an embarrassment as well as a provoker. A Maltese Daily had stopped accepting material from a similar pedantic doctrinaire who had made it his mission to attack the persona of anyone with a different opinion than his. This man is now doing the rounds on different blogs in search of people to humiliate them. From personal experience I had found him so irritating that I had to desert another web log as I couldn’t stomach his insults any longer. Unfortunately he is now becoming a regular visitor on this blog. I am however very pleased to read Peter Prictoe’s intelligent contributions and hope that he will stay on this site for a very long time. "
Just in case you have forgotten the theme of this argument is alternative energy.
Common sense suggests that if non-wood materials are used in place of wood, fewer trees have to be cut down. While demand for wood products does affect timber harvesting, the results of using other products have greater environmental costs. Steel ranks as the greatest energy consumer, with concrete second and wood as the least energy-demanding product to procure and process. Numerous studies have quantified this.
One may try to be smart-alecky by simply opposing an idea for the sake of being pedantic that effort is, generally speaking, unproductive. With regards to durability I would suggest to do some decent research maybe you would find out that a properly constructed and well maintained wooden pier will be able to last for hundreds of years.
Next I will tell you something about the crazy idea of turning Comino into a miniature Monte Carlo. Please bear with me.
Dom Mintoff first visit to China was in 1973, in 1975 Malta signed the cooperation agreement and in 1976 the Chinese started the construction of the red China dock. During that period a number of other mega projects were being studied one of which was a Causeway to Gozo, for a number of different reasons the latter proved unsustainable and the idea was abandoned and stopped there. Definitely no construction was ever initiated.
It appears that the embryo of the idea was hatched by the late Amabile Cauchi a Nationalist MP who convinced George Borg–Olivier to pursue it. Even after the PN lost the election in 1971,the amicable Amabile Cauchi convinced Mintoff to at least study the possibility.
It appears that this exchange has now degenerated itself into a futile and frivolous political argument and I shall therefore call it a day.
J. Vella is conveniently confusing the issue in an effort to erase his initial erroneous attestation. The crux of the debate between him and I is whether or not George Borg-Olivier had decided to start the erection of the bridge. It is on record that he did just that in 1968 whether or not Mr. Vella accepts that reality is entirely up to him. I had never argued whether Mintoff did or did not evaluate the idea so much so that I accepted that the Chinese he saw at Cirkewwa may have had something to do with that study.
At best, if the Wikipedia quotation holds any water, it would prove that Mintoff was not adamant about the idea and respected the wish of the people, however we all know about the inaccurate material contained in that source of information.
There are tunnels everywhere in Malta, mostly connected with fortifications and often built with slave labour (PoW?) The Malta rock is mostly soft globigerina but patches of the hard coraline crop up and explains why Valletta's Ditch doesn't reach the sea I understand and the intended Mandraggio harbour was similarly abandoned. I believe the British started submarine pens during the Second World War but also abandoned the project .
You cannot do much about Malta's roads and there is no building material on the islands so an underground railway system could clear the motor traffic to some extent.
Give the illegals picks and shovels and make them earn their keep :-)
For my part I would love to see Malta returned to the picturesque state I recall from my childhood but I doubt if you Maltese would appreciate that! On the other hand if the economic situation deteriorates as badly as some suggest you might well make up a store of candles.
Bridge to Malta;
http://www.heartofmalta.com/en/malta/guide/to-bridge-or-not-to-bridge-gozo.aspx
Connection to Malta Island
The construction of a bridge between mainland Malta and Gozo was a subject of controversy for years. In the early 1970s the newly elected Socialist Administration started the building of a bridge between the two islands, but this was stopped after protests from the Gozitan part. There was previously a helicopter service which connected the two, but this ceased recently following privatisation.
re: Comino A good and well planned forestation programme would make it look like one of the Pacific Islands... agreed
No more hotels or any construction should be allowed there...agreed
except a Gambling Casino or two...Strongly disagree
A simple wooden pier would enhance the landscape...agree
contrary to a horrendous iron bridge to Gozo...I do not see an iron bridge at all but a land bridge tipo the breakwater that protects Imgarr harbour. The distance between Gozo and Commino is a very very short one.
Gozo has lost its rural character and provides little natural space where people can enjoy in annonymity.
Comino will provide Gozo with that dimension. As it stands, Gozo does not have a critical mass to attract visitors in sufficient numbers. The added dimension of Comino to Gozo's marketing mix will provide Gozo with the potential to retain some kind of rural character that would attract the right kind of visitor.
The present car density in gozo(plus the old-standing driller syndrome whereby you are bound to hear some driller moaining anywhere anytime) has reduced the basic Gozo charm.
OK, I won't call you insane. I leave it to you what I should call someone who comes out with the bright idea to build a gambling casino or two on Comino being serviced with the Gozo Ferry which can only menas making a 20 minute crossing into and hour. One more thing while you are at it can you tell me how long will a wooden pier last having a vessel of the size of the Gozo ferry bumping against.
@ Joe Vella. I said to the Missus that after your GBO blunder it would take some time to see your return here. The Missus insisted otherwise and swore blind that you will revert very soon. Good intuitions the women have. First you labelled me blind and now you are suspecting that I am insane.
This time I shall take the sound advice of M. Vella and refrain from dignifying your arrogance with the courtesy of a reply
@ Peter Prictoe. He he he,Peter I would never dream of suggesting a bridge Gozo-Comino. Is my English that bad? My suggestion was a wooden pier,which I think it means a landing place,to enable the Gozo Ferry berth during pit stops.
A Gambling Casino or two on Comino?
Are you insane?
Whilst I am here I would say that the UK "Metro" today labelled the Maltese as the most quarrelsome of Europe and said it was physical.
Bridge from Gozo to Comino! What on earth are you thinking about Charles?
I am an odd bod on this blog-an octogenarian Englishman that has known (and loved ) Malta for so long but sometimes I think the Maltese are trying to keep tourists away.
I live in the Sheffield postal area and am aware of the expensive Maltese advertising at football grounds but it is word of mouth from satisfied customers that brings tourists back.
You cannot take me as a typical tourist but simply a critical observer of the Maltese scene.The buses now-Oh my gawd! -kindly ignore my exclamaton marks,
Too often Malta is just Paceville and Popeye Village.
Malta is certainly a place that must be visited at least once in a lifetime-but that is so often the case.
I do not know how it can be arranged, for it is a multitude of small things that put tourists off from returning whilst a fortunate or determined few appreciate the islands.
There is some bad publicity for Malta in today's "Metro"- a free newspaper found on UK public transport but I will speak to you furthtret on that
The Malta\Gozo ferry would then make pit stops there on its way to Gozo and vice versa. Comino could become a 24\7 haven for gamblers and other day trippers. Forget about long stays as it wouldn’t be viable.
@ My friends the Roberts. Trust me,a tunnel would also kill the natural characteristic of an Island. Yes, Gozo has a setback due its insularity but if you remove that set back Gozo will become just another collection of villages on the mainland. Do we really want to destroy Gozo and Comino to create a hybrid? Personally I would like to die before that happens.
Most visitors / tourists I have spoken with in the UK that have been to Malta ,are of a certain age, apart from the die-hards , most were dissapponted with the bus service.
Not to speak of Continental Europeans (whose English is limited) most say their visit has been spoilt simply by the thought of the time they must get back to their hotels.......Will I get a bus.....will I get a seat......will I get the right one ?
Is it possible NO ONE "upstairs" has ever thought of this ?
A good NEW civilized bus service , to my simple mind , would make Malta a REAL gem of the Mediterranean.....History , British inheritance,weather....& so on.
GOOD Bus Service NOW......Bridge to Gozo ?....Let's be serious !
Good Luck Malta.
p.s. I forgot.....How many Maltese would prefer a "comfortable" bus ride instead of driving
with the thought.....Is it worth it for a few miles.....Will I get a ticket....Will I find parking ?
He did make a solemn promise that he will build us a bridge.
I wouldn’t have put it passed GBO to make that historical announcement on ‘Il-Mellieha’ because all of us Mellehin know how much our late PM loved ‘il-kazin ta Mizzi’ and the village at large. But no he didn’t, the announcement was made in Parliament and reported by ‘The Times of Malta’ and ‘Il-Berqa’. The ‘Il-Mellieha’ of April 2006 simply reminded us of one of many PN promises that were never kept.
Should you require more details about more broken promises just give me a call, my name is in the book.
It is also a pity to note that even without the harmful impact of a bridge, the Gozitan landscape, especially along its flat areas, has suffered badly through sprawl.
I am therefore in favour of a land-bridge linking Gozo to Commino, implementing an aforestation programme on Commino and making it an ODZ car-free zone where horse-drawn carriages will be the only permitted transport. This will ease the pressure on Gozo and will help keep its rural charm at a time when the bulding cum car culture is reducing it to another dusty heap in the Malta mould.
In contrast to other blogs, the debate generated on this blog includes a healthy number of arguments and recommendations, away from partisan politics that try to show Labour in the dimmest light possible.
Then enters the usual ‘MLP should hide in shame' rhetoric to which I misguidingly reacted.
In so doing I risked that a healthy debate be relegated to the usual slinging match that derails sensible exchange. Through my reaction I could have dragged you into it. Hence my appology.
It is always a dilemma if one should ignore the draconic anti-labour swipes or if one should try to put the record straight.
On this blog, that attracts generally sound argumentation, I think that the best is to ignore anti-labour partisan attitudes. I will do my best to restrain myself :)
Regards
M Vella
Perhaps you were abroad or blinded in the early 70's to have noticed The Chinese grazing the shores from Cirkewwa to L'Ahrax carrying out surveying work to determine if it was possible to build the bridge.
Charles, please stop also from being funny. Quoting an article appearing in IL-Mellieha. With all due respect, Think there were other mediums that the Government would have used to make such an announcment.
Looks like we have another thing in common, in 1961 at the age of 18, I joined the RAF. Living in Malta was hard then and my parents couldn’t afford to support me to go to university and hence joined the RAF to find the financial means to further my education. I spent the best part of my 9 years in service at the Education Centres studying and hoping to get a commission. I done well but failed the security vetting, too red and too Maltese to become an officer. I had then got demobbed by purchase to join IOS which at that time was the biggest financial institution in W.Europe. Victoria Principal of the Dallas fame used to be our President’s PA even though she couldn’t type. I resigned from IOS as Branch Manager just before they became insolvent and joined Air Malta during its pioneering days.
@ Joe Vella. Do you really expect intelligent people to accept your version of our political history? The idea of joining our islands with a bridge wasn’t Mintoff’s imagination in collaboration with his Chinese friends as you claim. Now read on and admit a mistake.
Letter to the Times of Malta - 29th April 2006:
A bridge too far
Charles J. Buttigieg, Mellieha.
I read in the last edition of Il-Mellieha, a monthly periodical, that the government had announced its plans to erect a bridge joining Marfa to Gozo.
The bridge will be built on the seabed, 300 feet wide and 36 feet above sea level. It will boast a 20-foot pavement adorned with ornamental trees. It is planned that the bridge will be built on two levels allowing the lower level to take on another road with shops, restaurants and other facilities.
If all goes to plan, the project shall cost Lm3 million and take two years to be completed.
The announcement was made by the late Nationalist Prime Minister, Gorg Borg Olivier, on Saturday, November 23, 1968.
No, I am not in favour of a bridge to Gozo. Just pointed out to Charles that it was Mr. Mintoff that had his Chinese friends then surverying if it was possible to construct.
I must appologise that my reacting to the usual deitribe contributions may have led you down my own reactive path when the exchange involving the rest is so pleasant and fruitful.
Pehaps I for one should ignore the toxic jabbers as and when they jab and enjoy the constructive contributions such as those by Peter, Lawrence Martinelli and Dr Saliba, so that we may one day move on to better things.
My appologies once again
I am sure that like myself you are not completely sold on a bridge tp Gozo for I
have had occasion over the years to vist the Scottish island of Skye and the
fairly recent bridge has taken away much of the magic- and the Maltese islands
are magical.
The standard of living of the Maltese should increase but I reckon that if you talk to
older Maltese you might be surprised at their answer to the progress of recent years.
I aympathise with Lawrence Martinelli for I too had a modest start in life in joining
the RAF as an apprentice at 15.
Always intending to retrire to Kalkara I was obstructed by my wife not liking. the island
any more than my Floriana born late brother. Malta is indeed a place that you love or
hate as goes tha mantra chanted by British tourist agents.
I have acted as the Yorkshire agent for flats owned by Maltese friends but was
dispirited by the feedback.
Malta appears unaffected by the wave of economic despondency washing over the UK
but I fear it will soon reach your shores.
Batten down the hatches.
The bridge to Gozo was a MIntoff imagination in coloboration with his Chinese friends.
Malta could well do , like in good / bad old days,without the amount of cars about (to go where ?). Obviously the present busses have to be scrapped & some of the drivers be reminded they are not in a Rodeo.
Cleaner air , money saved on cars (to be used on better ways) happier people plus tourists who would go home & (probably) say.......Why go far afield ?.....Malta has it all.
Crazy ideas from an old Maltese ? May be so. But I've seen enough places in my life time
(at 17. I started as a Galley Boy on ships ). Good luck Malta !
I beg to differ. WECs -- Wave Energy Converters -- is a mature technology. The reason that it is still not on the forefront of electricity generation is due to the fact that, so far, gasoline has been easily available to most of the western world.
But things are changing. And fast!
Oil supplies are dwindling. With the emergence of China and India as major economic blocks, expect supplies to shrink even faster.
When the writing is on the wall, take heed. Harnessing the energy in waves is the practical thing to do.
The old way of assessing cost/benefit no longer applies. One must also factor in the equation the burden of shortages and the ever-escalating price.
Arab oil, or the Italian grid is not a good option. Energy-independence should be the goal.
Without energy, Malta will revert back to third-world status.
TAPCHAN -- Tapered Channel -- is the best choice to harness the waves' abundant energy.
The engineers at the Tarzna can meet the challenge. In my last post, I showed how Malta can afford this technology.
Better do it now while the going is good, or face a bleak future just like Aesop's famous grasshopper.
Unfortunately there was an MLP government for 2 years in between. Those 2 years of MLP Governments throw Malta back not 10 years but over 25 years in real time vis-a-vis the EU.
You are right we should focus on today and how to move forward, but it is helpful and prudent to know where we are coming from before making outrageous statements
Several years back the British manufactured control units of Marsa were returned to the UK for refurbishment and soon after their return there were failures-though the cause was not established.
In Malta’s Parliament the subject was discussed and a member suggested that the next lot of units should be manufactured in Italy rather than Britain and since I admire Italian electrical engineering I have no argument.
The discussion went on and one honourable member suggested that in the Second World War the British were the lesser of two evils and maybe he had a case.
It gives me food for thought but I only mention it because electrical power generation is the thread of this discussion rather than the sins of Maltese political parties.
Sorry to say, but I pity you. You are so apologetic towards PN that it seems useless trying to argue with you. Labour doesn't care and PN has to fix!!! I'll leave this up to other bloggers to judge.
I am not wasting more time cause it's clear, you are biased.
Malta lags behind on most fronts.
We have had a NP in government for 20 years.
Blaming our limp progress on EU debate is in my opinion running away from one's responsibility.
We should focus on our today and how we are to move ahead. Malta can not pretend to run relays with one runner. We will only lag behind if we persist in doing so.
Why don't you put things in perspective. Just to help you out a bit, why don't you start put from the time where Mintoff Left Malta in 1958 and from the time GBO took over Malta 1n 1962, The building boom and the Tourism industry started well before Mintoff came to power in 1971. I should know I am from Mellieha, in the 60's there were four large hotels (Mellieha Bay Hotel, Ramla Bay Hotel, Paradise Bay Hotel and Golden Sands Hotel) built in Mellieha alone; not to mention the Dolmen Hotel, the Hyperion in Bugibba and the Salina Bay Hotel. The only building boom that flourished under Mintoff in Mellieha were the Mellieha Bay and Armier boathouses.
My friend, your memory is very short indeed or you are to young to remember the days when there no electricity and no water to basic elements.
It is good to now know that they finally accept the fact that we lag behind in most aspects after so many years of NP misrule.
In my opinion, blaming it on others is worst than childish.
Labour Governments delivered Touristic infrastructure underpinned by our own national airline leading to a 300 plus per cent increase in tourist arrivals, a record number of home owners, a social support structure rangings from pensions to children's allowance, primary health systems, a new hospital wing, etc etc etc without having one single deficit in any Mintoff budget.
They certainly did not adopt an attitude of blaming others, they just went out and did what was best for Malta. The NP lost us so much precious time and all they are interested in is to hang on to power at all costs. Looking at our terrible TV/Radio fare is enough to make one cry. Perhaps they want to blame others for the embarrasing state Valletta finds itself in? What a pathetic shower.
Please stop contradicting yourself.
You stated that you don't care what happened 20 or 40 years ago, yet you criticize the lack of foresight when the Delimara Power Station was built ! Ah! yes, that was only some 16 years ago so it lies within the last 20 years therefore subject to your scrutiny.
Could it be that once the Nationalist government was in place, the pace of progress accelerated beyond past experiences? Can you imagine how much criticism would have been leveled at the government had a PS been constructed with excess capacity? It would have been labeled as overspending or in the MLP's words 'Qed taraw kbir'.
You are concerned with 'today', but is not today the product of yesterday? Why don't you admit that Labour never cared about having plans in place, always governed by the seat of their pants, messed up, only for a Nationalist government to fix later.
Certainly their anti-EU campaign and the freezing of Malta's application did not help. Now, after a huge U-turn, you want everything pronto and complain that the EU is not doing enough fast enough !! Some cheek.
One can go back in history and note failings by the former colonial government and the subsequent administrations by both political parties and all can be criticised but then Malta has always faced particular problems-and still does,
Connection to the European grid is an obvious solution but will be expensive and would bring the customary problems of Maltese politics.
Alternative solutions to power generation should of course be investigated but they remain limited.
Contributors can criticise past failings by political parties in power but it serves no useful purpose whatsoever,
Maybe a joint political commission could be set up to investigate and possibly solve the problem but everyone is aware of the illegal abstraction of electricity same as of water. These of course occur in every country but we must recognise the prevalence in your islands.
There will have to be a sea-change of attitude towards illegalities and maybe the MLP, languishing in opposition, might take up the challenge but we all know it would be fearful of losing votes and so nothing will be done.
Sorry that this is a counsel of despair but that‘s the way it is.
That is right. Malta lags behind in many things, not only in alternative energy investments, because of the MLP policy toawards the EU. The 10 years lost, Malta foregone Millions if not Billions of Euros in funding from the EU.
I suggest that you and the MLP should run and hide in shame, and not to the nearest spewer as you suggested.
Maybe 20 years ago alternative enrgy sources technology was still in its infancy? How can one defend ones wrong doings by going back 20 years and blaming that government. Let's focus on today, cause if we go back up to 20 years, why not go up to 40?
When will the new turbines be installed? The Marsa power station was to be shut ages ago.
I agree that such projects need good planning, but that shows that the Dellimara one lacked a little, cause it should have catered for today's needs.
well, basically I don't much care what happened 20 ears ago now, but today, and today we are still far far behind in this sector.
I do not know if I should laugh or run to the nearest spewer.
For the moment, the only other Feasible source of electricity would appear to be joining up with the European Union nuclear energy grid.
How true indeed. I guess this applies as well to amongst things to the MLP position vis-a-vis the EU.
If they would focus on harnessing the energy in waves, they could electrify Malta without buying one barrel of oil.
Wave-energy-conversion is a mature technology and it fits perfectly to Malta's needs. It-Tarzna has the capability of building any wave-energy converter, if only government, or EMC would order them.
The question is always about money: can Malta afford it? A better question would be: How much can Malta afford?
If a mere €10 per month were levied on each of EMC customers (about 150,000), €256Million could be borrowed/repaid over 25 years at 5% p.a.
That's a lot of money that could lead to Malta's energy-independence, and clean up the environment. Not to mention the high-tech jobs created at the dockyard. And the economic spin-offs.
I agree that the desalination of our seawater-contaminated aquifer is a long-term slow process and that it would be accelerated tremendously by the elimination of illegal boreholes and controlled pumping of potable water from the aquifer.
By 1987 the MLP had been in power for 16 years. They did not have a plan then, nor was the building of a new Power Station on their drawing board.
Not only that, there was no plan to tackle water shortages - replace an antique telephone system and they ran the Marsa Power station on the cheapest coal. Its water distillers were rendered useless and shut down when they finally broke down. You call those 'plans'?
I think that 16 years were long enough to have some plans in place.
Yes, Marsa Station was supposed to close eventually but a sharp increase in electricity demand required it to continue operation on at least one turbine, the others held on reserve. The continued demand made it necessary for it to operate on all turbines.
The new turbines at Delimara (whenever they are installed) are supposed to have an output large enough to meet demand and have a reserve to cater for increases, I believe, to 2015 or 2020. I could be wrong on the dates.
Increasing generating capacities is not like buying a can of beans. It requires planning, financing and EIAs..
Of course the demand increased, but I think when building such a project such as a powerstation one should do some forecasting about the demand in the future years. The promise wass that the Marsa station was to close.
Re plans from the MLP. You expect the MLP to have plans. Did you expect the PN to have one in 20 years???
This is an important initiative that must be taken in hand. Yet in my poorly informed opinion, this may fall well short of action required to meet Malta's water requirements effectively and as efficiently as possible.
We are still pumping some 40% of our requirements while unauthorised pumping remains a possible issue. We still rely on a resverse osmosis process installed in the 80's and we are not informed of the environmental damage that has been caused by the high-salt-content-plus-chemicals waste that is thrown in the sea at the end of each process.
Surely we need to think drastic on ways how to retain a significant portion of rainfall. If global warming warnings are anything to go by, water supply should perhaps be at the top of our things to do list
Excellent comment Dr Saliba.
The survey of Maltese land use by the University of Durham (Bowen-Jones et al) some fifty years back had much to say on the Hydrology and Water Supply and pointed out the fortuitous stratigraphy of Malta that ensured an excellent water supply provided it was not over-pumped or the surface of the land over-built upon. Unfortunately both evils were committed and the result was disastrous. The Morris Report of 1952 was the most significant assessment of Malta’s hydrology and was completely ignored. Once Malta was independent then short-term commercial interests ruled supreme.
The taste of this underground water has been ruined for ages to come by overpumping that sucked in sea water and mixed it with the sweet rain water. That is the price we are now payimg for the decision not to desalinise sea water (by distillation at that time, rather than reverse osmosis) because that produced water "more expensive than whisky".
Most of our valleys have now been built up and damming them would now submerge the villas and remaining agricultural land. That was a very short sighted policy. As I see it, the only solution now remaining is to divert the valley water to suitably sited reservoirs that would slowly replenish our aquifer and push our the salinated drinking water.
and did not Dom Mintoff once say that it would be cheaper to make whisky rather than reverse osmosis water?
Yes I have seen the deluge along Valley Road and believe it did not happen before the war but then the valley sides have been built over and rain water cannot get to the aquifer. Then there is the question of over-pumping and (often illegal) boreholes.
It might surprise some contributors that Valletta gets almost the same rainfall as London-though to be honest London is about the driest city of the UK.
Those who have seen Gibraltar will be aware of the massive rain collection slab on the eastern slope that is over a hundred years old and has been derelict for almost half that period for its water collection has been replaced by reverse osmosis. The slab,originally corrugated iron, has caused severe damage to the rock face.
Just some thoughts
It has to be accepted that I am old and tetchy but I will try to behave.
Although I have all the time in the world I can only work in short bursts.
Between you there have been raised some most interesting comments and I will try to answer them individually or at least explain my own point of view.
Our younger son is on his way up here in Yorkshire in a BMW sports model but has been reduced to about 30mph by the heavy traffic on the M1 motorway all the way from London. It is not only in Malta!
I have to make ready our computers that he is going to sort out because his 88 year old mother gets unto a tangle producing her illustrated greetings cards-that are highly regarded.
Beautiful weather today in the UK after a poor summer but with autumn coming I wish I was back in Malta walking along the Dingli cliffs.
I am well travelled but Malta remains the most fascinating place in the world and I count my Maltese friends (some of seventy years standing) the closest that I have .
An acquaintence had years ago explained how a nember of islands, he came to know from his service years, had converted sizeable inlets (like our Msida inlet at the mouth of Birkirkara Valley) into lakes that provided potable water.
This was apparently done by building dams at the wide end. Rain water gushing into the inlet eventually converted the sea water into potable water.
Given the significant amount of rain-water that is lost every year, and the astronomical cost to produce tap-water, I wonder if Peter has ever come across such instances. This should be something that our authorities may want to investigate with vigour.
I am totally uninformed on the area under discussion but I did do a little cost saving analysis to save a little on my utilities bills and found that with solar energy the saving would be so minimal, if any, that it would not make it worth the effort to go that way. Furthermore the little environmental gain achieved with the solar panel would be nullified by the negative impact created by the horrendous mountings on the roof of our bungalow.
Driving from Los Angeles on my way to Palm Springs in California I got the bad inkling that we were nearing a sand storm area with all the noise one could bear not to mention the amount of sand in the air. Ten miles later we went past an experimental wind farm which explained the prohibitive notices up to ten miles radius.
I hate to sound so negative but I can’t see a positive return out of these two options but there again maybe it’s just my ignorance on the subject matter.
I never misquoted you. Your exact words were, "I have an electrical engineering background", which I took that you had an electrical engineering degree since (a) you mentioned your qualifications and (b) you were writing on the subject of electric generation and your observations regarding the Spanish islands. The electrical engineering discipline is vast and covers such fields as generation, transmission lines design and other related fields. My interpretaion of your qualifications is regretted and nothing personal was intended.
Why ask whether I want you off this blog? I have no right even less power to get you off this blog and I am certain that something else must have been upsetting you that you would have made that remark.
You may have noticed a long time ago that it is virtually impossible to discuss anything in Malta outside of the political sphere.
A notorious radio talk show caller was barred from most radio stations in Malta because he became an embarrassment as well as a provoker. A Maltese Daily had stopped accepting material from a similar pedantic doctrinaire who had made it his mission to attack the persona of anyone with a different opinion than his. This man is now doing the rounds on different blogs in search of people to humiliate them. From personal experience I had found him so irritating that I had to desert another web log as I couldn’t stomach his insults any longer. Unfortunately he is now becoming a regular visitor on this blog. I am however very pleased to read Peter Prictoe’s intelligent contributions and hope that he will stay on this site for a very long time.
I was a system fitter concerned with the guidance of nuclear Blue Steel missiles of RAF Vulcans.
I mentioned the Spanish island (Tabarca off Alicante in the Costa Blanca) that relies on solar energy. I sailed there from our home in Torrevieja and as I recollect it was rather larger than Comino and much more populous.
Also at Alicante is Beneixama the word’s largest solar voltaic farm producing thirty million kilowatts, enough for 12,000 homes all year round. Alicante province closely resembles Malta in its atmospheric brightness.
If you want me off the blog Mr Martinelli please say so for I do not wish to be involved in personal arguments.
I have a particular dislike of word twisting such as you have done here in order to denigrate me. Is it my declared political inclination that disturbs you?
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The Marsa Power Station has been a thorn in the side for many years, so having a beady view of the establishment is perhaps a guilt trip, this station having been patched up, converted to dirty coal and its water distillators mangled for so many years under a Labour administration. Its polluting output would have been a thousand times worse had it not been reconverted to cleaner oil.
Yes, the initiatives in the direction of renewable energy sources are indeed welcome even if late in the game but no one will disagree that all the windmills and solar panels we can afford to install will never replace conventional generation.
Joining the European grid, an option under study, is fine, but environmentally, would we not be shifting our problems to other countries? What would the net benefit be to the environment?
I agree with Rita Spiteri’s rather beady view of the Marsa establishment for I have an electrical engineering background even if it is not in power generation and I have spoken with Maltese electrical engineers who have reservations on the same subject. Power cuts speak for themselves.
Maybe MLP could take the subject in hand in desperate search for something different to the Blues who have made little progress in this matter beyond disturbing dear Dom in Delimara.
International events mean that small nations like Malta should take steps for their own benefit as oil becomes variable in price and is eventually finite. Malta could survive without cars as it did in the past when the island was so picturesque and traffic free. Tourists might flock to such a paradise for you cannot prosper by taking in each other’s laundry.
No, I did not expect a government lasting 22 months to have solved the energy problem, but at least, to have a plan and start the first step. Truth is, there was no such plan and today's MLP still cannot come up with their own brand of solutions.
With regard to the Marsa Power Station still being needed today is quite true but if fairness has any room at all in these discussions , may I ask, since building the Delimara PS how much did the demand for electricity rise due to new hotels, street light improvements and new industry? You have not discussed the main issue of converting the Marsa PS from oil to coal.
Rita, whether I live in Malta or not is not an issue here. Where I live we have plenty of clean and dirty electricity and we also have outages one of which lasted five days when the American-Canadian grid failed. So, please quit questioning my location. I was in Malta only last month and even since my previous visit I could see more new construction and been in more air conditioned homes and these alone demand more power.
The Marsa PS is due to close in 2011 and in the meantime new generators will be installed at Delimara. Also, hopefully, alternate sources of energy will start to come in service and hooked up to the grid, thus providing cleaner energy.
During the present government's inaction for, as quoted, '20 years save for 22 months', where was the Opposition? Only lately and with pressures from the AD who the MLP befriended so much during the last election campaign, did the MLP even bother to jump on to the environmental band wagon.
The reason for the MLP's attitude for the last umpteen years was because they were obsessed with finding the reason why they no longer governed. The reason seemed to be obvious to the electorate but not to them.
Let's hope that now the MLP will sincerely move forward with sound advice and with genuine cooperation with the government.
So much energy is wasted in decrying the political party that does not meet one’s favour when a modicum of co-operation would resolve so many problems.
I am a socialist and would wish to see MLP in power-but not the raggle-taggle collection of today that stands no chance of election-there must be a new look. Don’t come back with the customary Maltese response that Labour here in the UK is in difficulties for it is Malta that I am considering.
I spent four years of my childhood in the external married quarters of Fort Ricasoli and would love to see that now desolate area in the forefront of a revitalised Malta but unless you get this power question settled there is no possibility
of commercial success at Ricasoli.
So you expect that what has not been done in 20 years, should have been done in 22 months? Why do you always defend something wrong with an attack on Sant? I would like to point out that admitting that the PN has lacked a lot in this field is not a sin but honesty and a sense of fairness which will do you good.
Re the Marsa power station, may i point out that it is still essential for today, and the Dellimara one is not good enough to provide energy for Malta (I know this through people working at enemalta) so I am not inventing.
Besides stop comparing todays technology with that which existed years ago, cause we can than compare today with 40 60 or 80 years ago. Doesn't make sens.
Does anyone recollect what the Sant Labour government of 1996-1998 accomplished in this regard? I faintly remember the astronomical rates increases for water and electricity when one barrel of oil cost the princely sum of $12.00.
Thank God, Mr. Grixti remembered the fact that a Nationalist government built the Delimara power station without which Malta would have gone back to kerosene lamps and dripping candles. Of course, back then when the Delimara station was constructed, the price of oil was even cheaper than in 1996 and I suppose, very few were thinking in substituting cheap oil with some other energy source.
This contrasts with a previous Labour government who converted the oil fired Marsa station to coal, mostly imported from Poland and whose sulphur content far exceeded the then acceptable levels.
So, yes, Dr. Gonzi's announcement is good news indeed but it does not mean that he should make hasty decisions in order to appease those whose environmental agenda has suddenly come to the fore.