Tenders have been issued for the trenching and pipelaying works for the second class water (New Water) distribution network in Mellieha and Mgarr, the Water Services Corporation (WSC) said in a statement.
"Some 170 farmers in the Mellieħa area who have started using treated sewage - or 'new water' - for irrigation are reporting better produce. This has encouraged other farmers to start using this water, and demand for the service has increased remarkably. To this effect, the WSC is increasing the supply network of this second class water. "
New Water is treated in three phases - ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis, and advanced oxidification. "This three-phase treatment is indeed revolutionary, and Malta is amongst world leaders in the field such as Israel and Singapore," said WSC CEO Richard Bilocca.
"By using new water, farmers are benefitting from a stable supply of low salinity water resulting in a very positive impact on their crops, giving them a better shelf life and greater production flexibility. Some farmers are even growing two crops a year, rather than one because the 'new water' does not have any negative impact on the fertility of the soil. Farmers are also minimising the strain on the aquifer that is caused by borehole extraction, exacerbated by the poor rainfall of the last years and helping the aquifer to replenish over time. The quality of this water is above Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards and undergoes strict testing regime at the Corporation's laboratories."
Farmers are given electronic cards to retrieve the water in proportion to the amount of land they farm, and the amount of water they take out is marked. This call for the distribution of New Water in the North of Malta will cover 400ha of agricultural land through a 20km distribution network and will involve the installation of around 140 dispensing points. The call for offers for these works closes in the coming weeks. The project will be led by the Water Services Corporation and may be part-financed through EAFRD funds."