When addressing the environmental conference on water organised by the Church Environment Commission and the Malta Water Association, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson Michael Briguglio spoke about the urgent need for the implementation of a sustainable water policy in Malta.
“We are in a situation where the majority pay their utility bills, whilst others steal water from boreholes. There is an urgent need to stop the illegal extraction of water through unauthorised boreholes. Such extraction is forcing the Water Services Corporation to rely heavily on reverse osmosis and is, in itself, a contribution to the rates that are charged for water. Reverse osmosis plants consume a lot of energy, and increased dependency on such plants is risky, for example if an oil spill occurs. Malta only has facilities for 48 hours water storage. .”
“Malta has 8,000 private boreholes, extracting ground water for various uses, including water for soft drinks, animal husbandry, manufacturing industry, concrete batching plants, swimming pools, agriculture, lawns and private gardens – making it probably the country with the highest borehole density in the world. Borehole usage is unsustainable, and if current trends persist, this resource will no longer be available in around 15 years time, due to the infiltration of sea water in the water table. In turn, Malta will be overdependent on reverse osmosis plants”.
“The water issue is ultimately an issue of environmental justice, social justice and economic good-sense. How could it be that such a scarce resource is being treated as if it had unlimited supply, and how come those who are grabbing it for free are being rewarded for doing so?”
In the meantime, on Friday, Carmel Cacopardo spoke in the conference on behalf of AD about Malta’s building policy, whilst Michael Bajada will speak on behalf of AD on the environment in Gozo next Saturday.
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AD issejjah ghall-politika sostenibbli ta’ l-ilma
Meta indirizza l-konferenza dwar l-ilma, organizzatta mill-Kummissjoni Ambjentali tal-Knisja u mill-ghaqda Maltija dwar l-Ilma, ic-Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika Michael Briguglio tkellem dwar il-bzonn urgenti ghall-implimentazzjoni ta’politika sostenibbli dwar l-ilma f’pajjizna.
“Qeghdin f’sitwazzjoni fejn il-maġġoranza tal-poplu jħallsu l-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma, waqt li ohrajn jisirqu l-ilma li jiġi mill-boreholes. Hemm bzonn urgentu li jitwaqqaf l-uzu illegali ta’ ilma mill-boreholes mhux awtorizzati. Dan qed iwassal biex il-Korporazzjoni ghas-Servizzi ta’ l-Ilma ssir iktar dipendenti fuq ir-reverse osmosis, u b’hekk ikompli joghla l-prezz ta’ l-ilma. Iktar dipendenza fuq ir-reverse osmosis hija riskjuza, ghax dan ifisser li jekk per eżempju jkun hemm xi inċident ta’ xi tanker taż-żejt ħdejn Malta, jkollna diżastru sħiħ! Malta għandha faċilitajiet ta’ ħażna tal-ilma ta’ 48 siegħa biss”.
“F’Malta hemm madwar 8,000 borehole privata, li jieħdu l-ilma mill-pjan għal użu varju fosthom produzzjoni ta’ soft drinks, trobbija tal-annimali, manifattura, manifattura tal-konkrit, pixxini, agrikoltura, u ġonna – mingħajr ħlas ta’ xejn. Probabbli pajjiżna għandu l-ikbar rata ta’ boreholes fid-dinja, meta tqis id-daqs tal-pajjiż. L-uzu tal-boreholes huwa insostenibbli, u esperti qed jghidu li jekk nibqghu bl-istess prattici tal-prezent, fi 15-il sena l-ilma tal-pjan tant se jkun tant mielaħ li ma jkun tajjeb għal xejn. B’hekk pajjiżna miexi lejn sitwazzjoni fejn inkunu wisq dipendenti mill-ilma tar-reverse osmosis”.
“Il-kwistjoni ta’ l-ilma hi wahda ta’ gustizzja ambjentali, gustizzja socjali u sens tajjeb ekonomiku. Kif jista’ jkun li rizorsa hekk skarsa qed tigi trattata qisha xi wahda bi provvista bla limitu, u kif jista’ jkun li dawk li qed jiehdu l-ilma b’xejn qed jigu ppremjati ta’ dan?”
Sadanittant, Carmel Cacopardo tkellem fil-konferenza f’isem AD dwar il-bini, u nhar is-Sibt li gej Michael Bajada ser jitkellem fl-istess konferenza dwar l-ambjent f’Ghawdex.
