In his article (January 3), architect Philip Grech argued against legal notice 376/2012, which revoked the obligation of developers to construct a well for the collection of rainwater from the roofs of their buildings and permits the connection of rainwater disposal infrastructure with the public sewage system or directly into the street.

This regulation, once again, illustrates the Government’s lack of a coherent water policy.

In recent weeks, we have had Minister George Pullicino boasting about the implementation of a flood relief project that is meant to siphon rainwater from flood-prone areas while now we have a situation where the same minister, who is also responsible for the Malta Resources Authority, which issued this regulation, has published a regulation that permits a substantial additional amount of rainwater to flood our streets.

This is not a case of one minister not knowing what another minister is proposing, as was the case with Bisazza Street, Sliema when Pullicino wanted to pedestrianise the street while Minister Austin Gatt had contractually agreed with Arriva to let buses travel through this street. It is now a case where, literally, the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

This new regulation is totally irresponsible when one considers the huge water supply problem we continually face. Our authorities should insist on the responsible use of water and the elimination of waste of this precious resource. To be able to achieve this goal, the very first thing that needs to be done is to ensure that water is collected at source for eventual reuse.

This new regulation also means that with more rainwater entering our foul drainage mains we will be creating more sewage overflows even after a light downpour as happens regularly in Ħali Street, Żebbuġ. I shudder to think what will happen during heavy rainstorms if this regulation is implemented.

Water is a very scarce resource and, therefore, we need to have a water policy that ensures that we maximise the harvesting and reuse of all our water sources. For this reason a new Labour Government will implement a water policy which ensures the sustainable use of this precious resource.