Government Whip Godfrey Farrugia has urged participating states of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to “diversify their sources of water, including by treating, reusing and recycling waste water,” in a report which he drafted.

The report, or supplementary item, is called: ‘Drinking Water: Fostering cooperation to protect a scarce resource adversely affected by climate change.’

Malta is known to be one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, where groundwater has been depleted and a heavy reliance on reverse-osmosis plants are necessary in order to meet local demand. In addition to this, unregulated private groundwater extraction has made Malta’s water-table problems much worse. As a result of this, the island relies heavily on energy-intensive desalination processes which are expensive and some argue unsustainable.

The world over is experiencing water shortages – while populations continue to increase in certain parts of the world, and people are living longer in others, both the demand for water and the consumption of water are on the rise.

In view of this, the first point being made in Dr Farrugia’s report is the recognition that “only 2.5 per cent of the world’s water can be used for drinking as the remaining 97.5 per cent is salty water from oceans and seas.”

Dr Farrugia will lead a Maltese delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE in Tbilisi, Georgia from 1 July to 5 July. He will be accompanied by Joseph Farrugia and Frederick Azzopardi.

“In preparation for the Annual Session of the OSCE PA (OSCE Parliamentary Assembly), a number of supplementary items draft resolutions were circulated amongst the delegations of the 57 participating States in order to obtain enough support for that item to be placed on the Agenda of the Annual Session,” he said in comments to this newsroom.

Dr. Godfrey Farrugia submitted a supplementary item on drinking water and the importance of fostering cooperation to protect a scarce resource adversely affected by climate change which garnered enough support.

“The Supplementary Item emphasises that drinking water is a rare and indispensable life-sustaining world heritage resource and that its protection and management require the shared responsibility of all states. The Supplementary Item focuses on trans-boundary water which not only includes rivers and lakes but also groundwater and atmospheric water which do not recognise state boundaries and as such cooperation between states is needed.

“ Trans-boundary water cooperation could yield a number of significant benefits including accelerated economic growth, increased human well-being, enhanced environmental sustainability and increased political stability, to mention a few. The Supplementary Item also draws light on emerging challenges, including increased urbanisation and population growth and climate change.

“To this end, the Supplementary Items makes a number of important recommendations such as to treat water governance as a priority and to explore all avenues to strengthen our cooperation. It also urges the OSCE participating States to take the necessary actions against contaminants, industrial and human waste and to take adequate and effective measures at national and international levels to address climate change.

“It urges them to diversify their sources of water including by treating, reusing and recycling waste water and encourages the promotion of life sciences research and educational campaigns aimed at raising awareness amongst consumers. It urges participating States to show political commitment to re-assess international agreements and treaties in the light of new challenges and to show political commitment to systematically plan and manage their water resources as best they can whilst ensuring that all citizens have an accessible and affordable water supply,” he concluded.

After the Annual Session, Dr. Farrugia’s Supplementary Item will be included in the annex of the Declaration of the OSCE PA which is then presented to the Ministerial Councils and national parliaments for their consideration.

The Supplementary Item of the Maltese delegation was co-sponsored by the following delegations: Czech Republic, Denmark, Romania, USA, Belgium, Russia, France, Monaco, Kazakhstan, Canada, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary.