The government yesterday announced that it was going to get tough on people who tap into the water table and that it was imposing a one-year moratorium on the sinking of any new boreholes.

There is an acute problem with water tables in many regions around the world, but Malta, with no rivers, no notable streams, and hardly anywhere to store any appreciable quantities of fresh water, has an even greater problem. We live on a tiny island where any form of pollution goes straight into the groundwater. The former Maghtab dump and the leaks from the Enemalta Qajjenza plant are plain enough evidence of what can happen.

In addition, this country suffers from that horrible “I stake my claim” illness. On a different note, it is good to see that the government is starting to act on illegally-built boat houses, summer residences and residences proper. But, as highlighted by Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, there is an age-old problem of people tapping directly into the groundwater and sucking it up to use, mainly, for irrigation purposes.

One of the first problems that the Knights Hospitallers found on their arrival in Malta was the acute scarcity of water, both underground and through springs and streams. That problem is still with us today, and getting worse. Suffice it to say, most of our water comes from reverse osmosis, a hideously expensive but absolutely necessary process to keep this country going.

The decision by the government to stop drilling for water should indeed be encouraged and the public should throw their weight behind the decision. The fines that will be imposed on anyone drawing water out of undeclared sources or for drilling new boreholes are stiff enough to be a deterrent.

However, with Malta being Malta, we are sure that it will take a few fines being dished out before people get with the programme and start to observe the new regulations. On the other hand, we need to start utilising other forms of water – we need to collect, where possible, the little rainfall that occasionally falls and we really should start to make more use of second-grade water for irrigation purposes.

Many environmental NGOs have been crying out for the water table to be protected in an effort to save it before it gets to the point of no return. If the aquifer is depleted to a point where it cannot replenish itself, then Malta will truly be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Quite how the authorities intend to ‘police’ the mosaic of terraced fields, hidden rooms, springs and boreholes remains to be seen. But what is definite is that the enforcement team will need some beef. There needs to be a dedicated team of individuals who must make sure that these new regulations are truly observed. But it does not stop there. Farmers and the like must be given all information necessary to learn to conserve water and where possible tap into alternative sources. One simply cannot say “you cannot use that water to irrigate your fields” and not provide an alternative as, quite simply, next to nothing would grow in this dry and dusty climate of ours.

In principle, this is a great move, but we must back it up with education, research and new and innovative ways of catching and storing rainwater and second class water. Failure to do so is simply an invitation for people to break the law.