All remaining registered domestic boreholes, about 450, are being reviewed, on top of about 200 installations that were ordered to be shut down two weeks ago.
The Malta Resources Authority is pursuing a campaign to eliminate domestic boreholes that do not fall in line with the law after years of encouraging borehole owners to register with the government.
Domestic boreholes are generally used to fill swimming pools or water large private gardens. Although the practice is not legal, many owners believed that registering the borehole could allow them to regularise their position.
The boreholes that have been ordered to stop extracting water were illegal but others may be exempt by law, which leaves some leeway in particular circumstances.
Boreholes can be retained if there is no pump or mechanical device installed to extract groundwater or if they are in an area that cannot be provided with a constant water supply by the Water Services Corporation.
They can also remain if, by means of an affidavit, users declare they are used solely for domestic purposes, the abstraction yield does not exceed one cubic metre per day and the water is extracted from the perched aquifer.
‘Courageous’ move
Also, if owners can prove they are “cultural property” under the Cultural Heritage Act, they may be allowed to keep them.
The 200 letters issued are for those boreholes that are not exempted according to the mentioned regulation. The rest are still being processed so that a decision can be taken as to whether they qualify for exemption, an MRA spokesman said.
Since 1997, there has been a drive to register domestic, commercial and agricultural boreholes, with the intention of clamping down on abuse. The continuous exercise resulted in 7,992 boreholes being registered: 6,623 agricultural, 652 domestic, 344 commercial, and 373 that were either already blocked or not registered for any particular use.
Two weeks ago, The Times reported the MRA had issued enforcement letters to 200 households, saying the boreholes must be “closed, sealed and decommissioned” in line with a number of conditions.
“Each person notified has to submit a declaration and a detailed method statement certified by an architect within 60 days from the date of the letter, confirming that this groundwater source has been closed in accordance with these technical requirements,” the MRA spokesman said.
The regulator can also carry out inspections and verifications on site to confirm that the groundwater source was closed in accordance with the formal notice.
The government’s decision was welcomed by water expert Marco Cremona who has been campaigning against the illegal extraction of water for years. He said this was a “courageous” and “positive” move by the government, showing that concrete action was finally being taken.