On its 20th anniversary the Water Services Corporation launched a customer contract outlining the government company’s obligations towards consumers.

More efficient with less people and fewer reverse osmosis plants

The contract, in the form of a booklet, also lists the timeframes the corporation is binding itself with when dealing with customers’ needs or complaints.

WSC chief executive Marc Muscat said the company, which was set up in 1992, today employed 900 people, a far cry from the 1,669, 20 years ago.

Despite employing less people and having fewer reverse osmosis plants, Mr Muscat said the company was more efficient in its operations.

He said over two decades, water leakages were reduced to 490 cubic metres per hour from a whopping 4,000 cubic metres an hour in 1992.

The corporation operates three reverse osmosis plants, 90 boreholes, 20 pumping stations in Malta and 44 boreholes and two pumping stations in Gozo. Mr Muscat said the corporation had an asset base of €250 million and supplied drinking water to 220,000 households.

In 2004 the corporation took under its wing responsibility for sewage services and it now operates three sewage treatment plants. Mr Muscat said last year the corporation had submitted development applications with the planning authority to build three water polishing plants and the necessary infrastructure.

The information was given during a recent visit to the WSC head office in Luqa by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech.