The opposition's spokesman on infrastructure Charles Buhagiar yesterday called on the government to review the present flat-rate sewage tariff and peg it to water consumption, because at present it was socially unjust.

Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the financial estimates of the Water Services Corporation, Mr Buhagiar said the tariff was 20 per cent of the meter rate and thus it was not distinguishing between those who were using water recklessly and those who were more careful.

It was the EU, he said, that had ordered the Maltese government not to subsidise water tariffs. When, in 1997, the Labour government had tried to impose such a tariff, the Nationalist opposition had created a storm, only now to introduce it itself when in government. It was clear that the action then had been nothing but a vote-catching ploy.

Earlier, Mr Buhagiar said ownership of water resources was unclear: while the WSC distributed water, there were other entities responsible for other sectors that affected water. Several works on stormwater were done by the Public Works Department.

The aquifer condition was a major problem because those responsible to control abuses did not care enough. The corporation was interested in having good quality water from the aquifer, but due to over-extractions, the aquifer had deteriorated.

Malta was obliged by the EU to have good quality aquifer water by 2015. But it was well-nigh impossible to solve the inherent 40-year-old problems in five years.

Mr Buhagiar said that the amount of water extracted from private boreholes exceeded the extractions by the WSC. Boreholes were being registered in 1997 but this process had stopped soon after. While one should register boreholes, one should also control what was being extracted.

If the aquifer kept being exploited, farmers would not be able to use this water as they would be ruining their fields when irrigating. While 55 per cent of used water came from reverse osmosis, one should not rely on this because should a contingency arise, such as an oil spill in the Mediterranean, one would not be able to use this water.

Quoting the environment report on fresh water, Mr Buhagiar said that contamination was of major concern. As Gozo also suffered from the same problem, water was exported to Gozo. There was a polishing plant to improve the water's quality, he said.

If water produced through sewage treatment was used for agricultural purposes, one would be solving a part of the problem of Maltese agriculture. When farmers were given alternative water, they would not extract water through boreholes.

Mr Buhagiar said the problems of rainwater should also be looked at with regard to flooding and whether it would cause any damages. He asked whether Mepa was enforcing regulations, such as by ensuring that every building had a well or reservoir.

One should also give importance to valleys because they were natural spaces where water flowed through and stored.

On this year's estimates, Mr Buhagiar said that after minister Austin Gatt had said that water tariffs would not increase, the revenue collected would be €41 million, while last year's revenue had been €35 million. One should not charge for one's own inefficiencies when imposing tariffs.

He said only 17,000 meters had been changed so far, and questioned whether the minister's goal would be reached. He believed smart meters were a very good initiative which needed to be followed up quickly, with all being distributed, if need be, even before 2012.

ARMS Ltd should be more cautious in issuing bills, in order to make things easier for citizens and reduce problems. Numerous incorrect bills had been issued.

The corporation knew that meters did not appropriately register the flow of water in roof tanks because of Malta's plumbing systems. Still, it did not take any action. A modern system of plumbing must be found.

Mr Buhagiar pointed out there were discrepancies in the figures of the 2009 report and those for 2010. One example was the investment in meters: €9.6 million for 2010 and €10 million for 2009. He expressed his amazement at the amounts invested for the 17,000 meters. The corporation should explain these discrepancies.

He also showed his concern about items which should have been taken care of by previous budgets but were still noted in new reports. He asked for explanations.

Mr Buhagiar also referred to projects which had been promised in the past such as the pumping station at Għarb, which had not yet started. Another project promised in 2008 was the Baħrija sewage treatment plan: still nothing had happened, even though Baħrija was a village of 2,200 inhabitants with no proper sewage plans and still making use of cesspits. Such a situation was disgusting.

Silvio Parnis (PL) said that the quality of drinking water was not good enough, and families had to buy bottled mineral water, thus increasing their expenses.

He said that many old houses contained wells which were not being used because they needed extensive repairs or because they were built over. The Housing Authority should give subsidies to families so that such wells could be used again for collecting rainwater, which was now being lost. Mepa regulations on wells were not being observed and Mr Parnis called for proper enforcement.