This newspaper has been consistently critical about the lack of action by successive Administrations to deal with perhaps one of the most vital resource issues confronting Malta: water. It is therefore welcome news to know that the Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs has at last presented a consultative document on the Sustainable Management of Water Resources.
But does this signify action, or is it simply more consultation and the deferment of action? The minister’s response, in reply to a question, that he was not interested in one Maltese expert’s opinion that “Malta’s aquifers will be rendered useless within 15 years” does not augur well. Given the urgency of the situation, he should be both interested in such advice and determined to implement long over-due action.
As the minister himself highlighted, however, substantial capital expenditure will be required for new infrastructure in the coming years. It has been estimated that more than €200 million will be needed to implement all the measures required by the Water Framework Directive. That sum of money will have to be found in competition with other national priorities and it is clear that, in the past, investment in water projects has not been given its sufficient due.
But the real test will be of political will. The actions which the government must take for “cost recovery through fair and equitable tariff schemes... requiring water-users to bear some of the investment and operational costs” will bring them up against strong vested interests – commerce and agriculture primarily – but also the ordinary consumer, the latter already feeling the pinch of increased water and electricity prices.
The most recent statistics provide an insight into the scale of the problem. In 2008/9, agriculture used around 19 million cubic metres of water, mostly through ground extraction, while in 2009/10 the Water Services Corporation extracted only about 13 million cubic metres of ground water for distribution as tap water. Another 17 million cubic metres was produced by reverse osmosis plants. More than two thirds of water was, therefore, taken up by agriculture or through “unofficial” extraction by water bowsers. Although the government is installing water metres in the 8,000 registered bore-holes, progress is painfully slow. If the rampant abuse in this area is to be curbed, the government must act with greater urgency.
The government’s plans to treat all sewage to re-charge depleted aquifers and to use most of it for agriculture are commendable and should lead to a more sustainable use of water by farmers. It remains to be seen, however, whether they will prove cost-effective. Either way, farmers – and the ordinary consumer – will have to pay more for their water.
Whatever the response to the public consultation process now under way, the government is going to be faced with extremely delicate and difficult decisions, many with very serious social implications, which have been made worse by its prevarication in tackling the problem. Introducing long-needed reforms to this sector “to ensure the sustainability of water resources in Malta without adding constraints to the local economy, in the light of modern pressures, particularly the looming effects of climate change” may prove to be a tall order. But it is now unavoidable as well as essential.
The minister has acknowledged the magnitude of the challenges ahead but has pledged not to shy away from implementing measures for the benefit of this and future generations. Will we see serious action at last?