Houses without cisterns should pay a flood fine to make up for rain water that ends up in the street, according to proposals from a government climate change committee.

The recommendation is one of many other initiatives contained in the national climate change adaptation strategy launched yesterday by the Resources Minister George Pullicino.

Although the proposal is listed in the strategy, the government has only committed itself to assess the recommendation. The government admitted it was complex to enforce such an initiative but insisted an impact assessment study would have to be held.

The flood fine would be levied on buildings that do not have a cistern or well in line with a 2007 legal notice making it a planning requirement to have one.

The strategy says revenue from this fine would go to a flood management fund, which would finance flood mitigation infrastructure such as roadside reservoirs and dams.

Water conservation is an important element in the strategy and it proposes drawing up a contingency plan for drought periods.

The strategy also addres-ses the threat to natural areas and the countryside by proposing fiscal incentives and disincentives to encourage people to move towards ur-ban areas.

It also suggests “a strict no tolerance” policy to-wards construction in out-side development zones. With climate change likely to contribute to a proliferation of alien plant and animal species, the strategy argues for strict veterinary border controls and a contingency plan to deal with this threat.

Education about climate change and awareness among schoolchildren feature prominently in the strategy.

The Resources Authority is tasked with implementing the strategy and a communications unit will be set up shortly to handle the matter.