The strategy adopted by the Malta Resources Authority with regard to the Water Catchments Management Policy, which is still in a stage of consultation, seems to be lenient with those causing damage to the environment and tough with those households that consume the basic amount of water.

The report fails to offer a real solution to this problem, where several companies are extracting an excessive amount of underground water at a ridiculous price of €1.75 per cubic metre, while households pay €5.50 per cubic metre.

It is condemnable that the MRA appears to adopt the same method used in the case of the energy tariffs, by increasing drastically the price of the basic consumption of water. We appeal to the authority to change its methodology to one that penalises wasteful practices and not basic consumption. Many families are experiencing a reduction in the standard of living due to the anti-social methods in use regarding these services.

There is also a lack of urgency in the installation of water meters on the 8,000 registered boreholes. The current rate is of 26 meter installations over a period of six months. This means that the entire process, when it is completed, will have taken more than a hundred years, so the monitoring process with regard to groundwater will definitely not be completed in the near future.

It is worth noting that the existing price of water for domestic use is three times higher than that for commercial use. We call on the MRA to protect the basic consumption of water for domestic use and raise the rate for commercial use, so the difference in revenue to the government can be used for capital projects addressing the protection and storage of rainwater.