Malta's natural water resources are running dry because of political mismanagement and uncontrolled abuse that should have been seen to years ago, according to an environmental expert.
"Any form of regulation that the government is planning should have happened yesterday," environment and planning management expert Alfred Baldacchino said.
He echoed concerns raised by former Water Services Corporation chairman Tancred Tabone who said the lack of political will was partially to blame for the unregulated over-extraction of groundwater.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Tabone warned that Malta would run out of water in about five years. He served as chairman of the corporation between 1995 and 1996, after serving as a director for five years.
Questions sent to the Resources Ministry - regarding claims that the government was dragging its feet over water regulation - remained unanswered at the time of going to print.
The ministry was also asked whether it agreed with Mr Tabone's five-year timeline and what measures were being taken to address the groundwater depletion problem.
Michael Falzon, who served as WSC chairman after Mr Tabone, said: "I don't think the five-year scenario (of Mr Tabone) is necessarily correct. It might be a bit alarmist. However, the fact is that whether it is five or 10 years, it will happen and the problem must be addressed."
Mr Baldacchino, a former assistant director within the planning authority's Environment Protection Directorate, said he believed five years was too close an estimate.
However, he added, if the over- extraction of groundwater continued, within five years the water in the aquifer would be unusable since it would be polluted by nitrates and would be too high in salinity.
"We have reached this point because of mismanagement and misuse. Besides the illegal extraction of water, we have a lack of control and monitoring," Mr Baldacchino said.
About 11 million cubic metres of water are over-pumped from the aquifers annually. Malta has more than 8,000 registered boreholes and, possibly, a few thousand more that are unregistered.
The continued extraction from private boreholes of massive amounts of fresh water by the private sector and agriculture means the WSC is obliged to rely more on desalinated water to meet domestic requirements.
This has already driven up the price of water for public consumption. According to figures quoted in Parliament, there has been a 123 per cent rise in the average price per cubic metre of water over four years.
Last year, the government issued new regulations to monitor bowsers transporting groundwater. The aim was to eventually regulate boreholes and install meters to curb abuse.
"This should have happened yesterday," Mr Baldacchino said.
"Scientists' advice had been ignored by politicians... No one seems to be interested. We don't even have an official water policy," he said.
Four weeks ago, the Resources Ministry announced the construction of an underground tunnel network to relieve flood-prone areas when it rains. This stormwater project has been on the drawing board for 15 years.
In The Sunday Times interview, Mr Tabone questioned why the wheel was being reinvented when Malta's rock system offered a cheaper system to replenish dwindling groundwater supplies.
He suggested trapping water in valleys to allow the water to seep into the rock and pumping back treated sewage water (which mostly consists of potable water) back into the aquifer.
Mr Baldacchino disagreed with the latter suggestion saying it was important to let the natural filtration system take its course.
However, he agreed that there were cheaper methods of replenishing the natural water supplies and one was enforcing planning regulations that demand that wells are built in houses.
Geologist Aaron Micallef said wells would reduce people's reliance of WSC water. It was also important to educate people and business on how to recycle, collect and not waste water.