The private sector extracts some 38,000 litres from the aquifer every minute, a figure which is some 43% higher than the amount extracted by the Water Services Corporation, hydrologist Marco Cremona said yesterday.

Speaking during the second day of a seminar, Bizzejjed ghal Kulhadd (Enough for Everyone) organised by the Inter-diocesan Commission on the Environment, Mr Cremona talked about the island’s limited water resources and the fact that we are under an obligation to pass on sufficient resources to future generations.

He said that the Malta Water Association (MWA) is extremely concerned about the exploitation of this resource for commercial use, and had drawn up a proposed action plan that included the immediate closure of all boreholes that are not used for agricultural purposes.

The plan also stipulates that all boreholes that are required for agricultural purposes should be registered by 2012, so these requirements can be clearly estimated, and that ‘polishing’ (water filtration) plants should be set up to provide some five million cubic metres of water annually by 2015.

Furthermore, said Mr Cremona, there should also be investment in the provision of sewage treatment, including the establishment of a number of regional reservoirs for storing the resulting treated water that can then be used for agriculture, industrial and even landscaping purposes.

He suggested that a National Agricultural Policy be devised to establish, among other things, the amount of water required by the agricultural sector, as without such a policy the MWA does not believe there can be an effective and comprehensive Water Policy.

The Water Services Corporation drilled the first boreholes some 35 years ago in order to boost supplies. At the time, drilling rigs were made available and people began to drill their own holes. Today, some 8,000 boreholes are registered, but the location of countless others remains unknown.

Mr Cremona explained that, as it is, everyone has access to water that meets EU standards and is available at a fair price. However, the truth is that Malta’s water resources stand at around 2.5 per cent of what the EU considers the minimum.

As a consequence of the high levels of extraction, the WSC has had to reduce its use of boreholes and supplement this shortage in other ways. The amount of water coming from reverse osmosis plants is continuously increasing, he said, adding that this will become a problem when we become completely reliant on these plants, as there will be a crisis if they stop working. At present, 55 per cent of the water in our homes comes from these plants and some 45 per cent from the aquifer.

In addition to the reduction in quantity, it also has to be born in mind that, as a result of extraction over the years, the underground supply has been depleted, causing sea water to seep in and salinity levels to increase.

The fact is that the majority of water in the aquifer is not of an acceptable quality, and only becomes so when it is combined with the water which is obtained from the reverse osmosis plant.

The only two areas of the aquifer that are still of acceptable quality are those in Mizieb and Comino, he said. Commenting on the EU target that stipulates that, by 2015, the condition of the aquifers can be described as good, Mr Cremona said Malta has requested an extension to this deadline to 2027.

However, although work such as the installation of meters on private boreholes and the tracking of bowsers has already started, the problem is that this still does not take unregistered boreholes into account.

Water is a public resource, said Mr Cremona, and it is unacceptable to even consider granting an allocation of water to those who have a borehole at no charge. The truth is that at some point, these boreholes were drilled illegally and those who do not have a borehole have no way of drilling one today.

The challenge is to produce water, while consuming less energy and reducing emissions, said Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, speaking at the seminar. He added that the government was making various efforts, but there was still a need to do more.

Opposition environment spokesman Leo Brincat said that the challenge of any administration in this sector is to avoid fragmentation. Currently, there is the WSC, the Malta Resources Authority and Mepa, and although they all have very valid contributions to make, it is crucial to avoid a duplication of efforts.

Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio insisted that unregistered boreholes must be closed and the WSC should be given priority when it comes to extraction, to guarantee sustainability.

Farmers should be given a quota of water at no charge, but in time should move to using recycled water where possible, he said, adding that industries should do the same, as well as paying commercial rates for extracted water.

Speaking earlier, Archbishop Paul Cremona said that people can see from the book of Genesis that earth is a gift from God to mankind and we are obliged to respect and look after it for future generations.

He said that, although today we speak about various forms of theft, we must do our utmost to avoid theft from future generations by looking after the earth, which we will pass on to them.

Yesterday’s debate focused on Malta’s limited water resources, and the topics debated included the aquifer, the restoration of our valleys and the treatment and re-use of sewage. The debate continues next Saturday in Gozo, where the topic will be Development in Gozo – challenges and opportunities.