Water in the Maltese Islands is sourced in a number of mean sea level and perched aquifers (the upper layer of the water table which lays on impermeable blue clay) and also in the desalination process. The water supply reaches consumers by means of pumping stations, boreholes and reverse osmosis.
From the year 2000 to date, water production has registered a marginal increase of 1.3 per cent. During the hydrological year 2000-2001, water production reached the 33,563,430 cubic metres mark while production for the hydrological year 2002-2003 was 33,984,039 cubic meters. However, a marginal decrease of 0.2 per cent was registered in the hydrological year 2002-2003, over the previous year. This is mainly due to a reduction in consumer demand and also to fewer water leakages in the underground supply network.
The agricultural census carried out in 2001 classifies agricultural land into three categories: dry land, irrigated land and garigue. Dry land occupies by far the biggest proportion of agricultural land, with 8,640 hectares, while there are 1,509 hectares of irrigated farmland. The Island of Gozo accounts for 19 per cent of the total agricultural land in the Maltese Islands.
In 1991, 23.70 cubic million tonnes of sewage sludge was treated at the Sant Antnin wastewater recycling plant. In the year 2002, this plant treated 18.85 cubic metres of sewage sludge – a reduction of 20.5 per cent over the year 1991. Gas emissions calculated for Malta in the past decade are mainly composed of the following gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), nitrous oxides (N2O), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SO2). From 1990 to 2000, there was a general increase in all gas emissions due to industrial and socio-economic development in the Maltese Islands. The most significant emissions increase was due to the increase in vehicle ownership. There was a constant increase in motor vehicles, especially in the private vehicle sector. At present the vehicle density in Malta is 1.48 people for each private vehicle on our roads.
As regards power generation and consumption, it is evident that from 1990 to 2002, the demand for electricity has been on the increase. In the period under review, the sector which absorbed most of the electricity generated was the industrial sector, with 27.1 per cent, followed by the domestic and commercial sectors with 26.5 per cent and 22.4 per cent respectively. It is interesting to note that during this period, 15.7 per cent of the total amount of electricity generated was either lost in distribution or unaccounted for.
An evaluation of the solid waste deposited at the Maghtab landfill shows that it is composed mainly of construction waste, which accounts for 83 per cent of the total, whereas municipal waste comprises 10 per cent. From the year 1996 to 2002 the deposition of solid waste at the landfill increased by 31 per cent.