Homeowners could be given a fiscal incentive to start using their wells under Malta’s first water policy which was launched for consultation yesterday.
Resources Minister George Pullicino acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the past and people had to be encouraged to start collecting rainwater, while new buildings must be forced to have inbuilt cisterns.
In fact, Maltese law already stipulates that buildings should have wells and that they are made use of, but due to lack of enforcement, a lot of rainwater is left to accumulate in the streets instead, causing flooding.
Mr Pullicino said he was in discussions with the Malta Resources Authority to come up with fiscal incentives similar to those of the photovoltaic panels, which are subsidised.
Asked whether the subsidies would include funds to encourage retrofitting of buildings which have not been equipped with a well or cistern, he pointed out that retrofitting could be a difficult and expensive task. “We have to realise that the money must come from somewhere.”
The water policy, which will be finalised by the Ministry after the consultation process, is aimed at ensuring a good quality, reliable, efficient and sustainable supply of water for the islands, which are among the driest in the world.
“By next year Malta will be the first EU country in the Mediterranean to treat all its sewage before disposing of it in the sea – and a large amount will be used for agriculture,” Mr Pullicino said during a press conference.
He insisted that no other government had done as much in terms of tackling the water issue and many measures were already in place, such as the regulation of groundwater extraction from boreholes, introduced in 2008.
Since 1987, Malta had halved its extraction of groundwater for potable use but this meant a reliance on water treated by reverse osmosis plants, which account for 60 per cent of the water the country uses.
But this dependency must be reduced through the use of treated sewage and harvested rainwater, the Minister said.
In fact, the government is working on two projects, one for Malta and another for Gozo, which could see Malta’s agriculture industry using treated sewage water exclusively, rather than relying on ground water which is fast being exhausted.
Mr Pullicino said there must also be a plan to manage and reduce floods, by collecting excess rainwater.
With the water policy, the government hopes to tackle climate change adaptation, regulation of the market to ensure fair prices, conservation of freshwater ecosystems and reduction of water pollution.
Mr Pullicino stressed the need to inform people about their responsibilities and urge them to change unsustainable ways.
He said it had always been a struggle for the Ministry to persuade farmers and owners of bowsers to act more sustainably but said he had become more optimistic because of recent successful initiatives – a reference to the registration of boreholes which has traditionally been an area of rampant abuse.
The six-week consultation process will be concluded by mid-September and Mr Pullicino urged everyone to send “coordinated” feedback to waterpolicy.mrra@gov.mt.
At this point, he targeted the opposition, saying the Labour Party was yet to give its consolidated proposals on the matter.
“You cannot sit on the fence and give different versions depending on who you are speaking to. As a citizen, not a minister, I expect concrete proposals before the end of the consultation process – out of respect for the country.”
Mr Pullicino said all the proposals were backed scientifically and were drawn up with the help of the British Geographical Society and the Environment Ministry of France.