Good quality second-class water would be available to the agricultural community in under two years, the government said.

Confirming that ground water extraction for the farming community will remain free of charge, the government is still undecided on whether any charges will be introduced for the new polished resource.

Though confirming that the new resource would be produced by 2016, the government said plans were still being finalised.

A few days ago, farmers and water experts questioned the purpose of the €25 million project that would include building three new water polishing plants to turn treated sewage into good quality second-class water that can be used in agriculture.

Farmers complained that though the government was moving ahead with its plans, they were never consulted on whether they would be able to use the ‘new’ water, how it would be distributed and whether they would have to pay to cover the costs of its production.

A spokesman for the Energy Ministry responsible for the project said that plans were still not finalised on the water’s use and a consultation process with stakeholders was in the offing. “The government plans to undertake a full stakeholder engagement programme in which tangible results, such as the quality of the polished water, will be presented to stakeholders to enable informed decisions to be reached,” the spokesman said.

The government is committed not to introduce tariffs for ground-water for the farming community

Asked to specify who will be footing the bill for the cost of production and distribution, the spokesman said: “The cost structure of the polished water production is being refined as part of the operational model definition. This will also cover the financing cost of the project.”

He added: “On a separate note, the government is committed not to introduce tariffs for ground-water for the farming community. It is, however, to be noted that the farming community is incurring costs for pumping and maintenance of boreholes.”

Following a massive investment through EU funds over the past decade, all the island’s sewage is being treated in three new plants before it is disposed into the sea. Through the new project, also financed by the EU, most of the treated sewage will be turned into second-class water.

Apart from agricultural uses, the resource can also be used by industry, for landscaping and to replenish ground water.

The project is being undertaken through the Water Services Corporation although few details have been given on the management of the new water resource.

In the past years, the WSC had taken over the responsibility and financing of the sewage treatment plants without compensation through a direct sewage tariff. As a result, the corporation is incurring big losses each year.

Asked on how the new water resource will be distributed, the ministry spokesman said that, initially, it would be distributed through a dedicated piped main network and through the existing open-channel system.

“At a second stage, the development of dedicated secondary distribution networks will be considered,” the spokesman said. “The development of these secondary networks will be guided by the results of a water-demand map, the development of which has been recently initiated by the ministry.”

Most of the farmers water their produce through boreholes which pump water directly from the aquifer. It is a known secret that most of these boreholes are unregistered and illegal and that irreparable damage is being caused through the over-extraction of water.

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