The water lost through leaky pipes would fill about 1,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools every year, but this was far below what was wasted in the 1990s.
A report on national water production and consumption, published by the National Statistics Office earlier this month, shows Malta is losing between 10 and 14 per cent of its water production every year because of cracks and leaks in the network. That is the equivalent of about four million cubic litres of water flushed down the drain every year.
Hydrologist Marco Cremona said that although the figure might sound shocking, it actually showed the authorities were taking the matter seriously.
“This is well within the acceptable levels that we were calling for years ago. When the problem was first highlighted in the 1990s we were losing 40 and even 50 per cent of our water. Now the problem is much smaller,” he said.
The authorities estimated theft at anywhere between a fifth and a quarter of total production
Dr Cremona said the Water Services Corporation had been hard at work to address the problem and their efforts were bearing fruit.
In fact, it was now at the point where further improvements would probably only see marginal gains. This, he added, meant the volume being lost was within acceptable parameters.
“Of course, no loss is acceptable and whatever can be saved should be, but there has to be a level of practicality too,” he continued.
According to the NSO report, Malta produces about 30 million cubic metres of water every year, consuming between 85 and 90 per cent of it. Nearly seven million cubic metres are extracted from boreholes annually, and about 17 million comes from reverse osmosis plants.
The report also showed that water loss was proportionally higher in Gozo.
Dr Cremona was quick to point to another problem with the country’s water network: theft.
Although it was not accounted for in the NSO data, he said the authorities estimated theft at anywhere between a fifth and a quarter of total production.
“Unlitred” water, which was not included in estimates, also fell into this category, he said.
This resulted from water meters not being properly calibrated, bills not being properly drawn up or “small replenishment flows”.
These, Dr Cremona remarked, were the small amounts of water that topped up water tanks but which were not enough to be registered by the water meter.
“It may seem like just a little drop of water, but spread that across the whole country and it is substantial,” he pointed out.