Waqt konferenza stampa li saret ħdejn l-Għajn tal-Ħasselin fl-Imsida kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party emfasizzaw li r-riżorsa tal-ilma mhux nibżghu biżżejjed ghaliha. Qalu li minħabba snin twal ta’ traskuraġni u nuqqas kbir ta’ ippjanar xorta għadna niffaċċjaw problema kbira ta’ żbroff ta’ drenaġġ fit-toroq wara beżqa xita, u toroq mgħarrqin. Ilma li tipprovdilna n-natura u li narmuh! Dan mhu qatt ġustifikat, lanqas kieku kellna iżżejjed!

Il-Perit Carmel Cacopardo, Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party qal illi “Id-drenaġġ jiżbroffa fit-toroq, minħabba nuqqas ta’ osservanza tal-liġijiet sanitarji. Mhux liġijiet li saru illum, imma liġijiet li ilhom li saru kważi 150 sena. Ta’ qabilna ħasbu biex id-djar tagħna jkollhom bir li fih jigabar l-ilma tax-xita. Kuntrarju għal dan, ghandna bosta bini residenzjali fejn l-ilma tax-xita ma jinġabarx f’bir, iżda jintrema direttament fit-triq inkella fid-drenaġġ.

Il-parti l-kbira tal-konsegwenzi nafuhom: toroq mgħarrqin bl-ilma tax-xita li parti sostanzjali minnu suppost li nġabar fil-bjar taħt ir-residenzi. F’xi każi t-toroq mgħarrqa jkollhom ukoll riħa ta’ drenaġġ, għax is-sistema tad-drenaġġ ma tiflaħx titgħabba bl-ilma tax-xita ukoll, u għaldaqstant, fejn dan ikun il-każ ifur id-drenaġġ imħallat bl-ilma tax-xita.

Cacopardo żied jgħid li hemm ukoll konsegwenzi li mhux ovvji għal kulħadd. Għax meta is-sistema tad-drenaġġ titgħabba wkoll bl-ilma tax-xita, it-taħlita, sakemm ma tfurx fit-toroq, tispicca fl-impjanti għat-tisfija tad-drenaġġ, Ta’ Barkat ix-Xgħajra u l-Qammiegħ limiti tal-Mellieħa.  Wara maltempata, l-impjanti għat-tisfija tad-drenaġġ jkunilhom meħtieġ li jipproċessaw kwantità ferm ikbar ta’ ilma, bi spiża ikbar jew inkella jkollhom jirrilaxxaw drenaġġ mhux proċessat fil-baħar għax is-sistemi ma jlaħħqux. Spiża jew tniġġis li jsir minħabba dawk li jarmu l-ilma fid-drenaġġ u li tista’ tkun evitata li kieku l-awtoritajiet ikunu kapaci jassiguraw l-osservanza tal-ligi. Hi responsabbiltà tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar u tal-Korporazzjoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma li l-ligi tkun osservata.

L-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar għandha l-obbligu li tara li l-bini jkollu bir għall-ilma tax-xita u fejn dan ma jsirx għandha l-awtorita li tiehu passi biex min jonqos jinġieb għall-ordni. Dan mhux tagħmlu. Il-Korporazzjoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma ghandha responsabbiltà li tara li fis-sistema tad-drenaġġ jintefa’ biss drenaġġ u xejn iktar. Għandha l-awtorità bil-liġi biex tieħu passi meta dan ma jsirx. Imma dan ma tagħmlux. Il-konsegwenzi ta’ dan kollu hu li f’postijiet bħal hawnhekk, l-Imsida jinġabru l-ilmijiet mill-lokalitajiet fil-viċin, u dan b’periklu għal kulħadd.”

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Dr Ralph Cassar qal li t-tqassim ta’ ilma tad-drenaġġ imsaffi u użat għall-biedja, proġett li ilu jiżviluppa madwar 40 sena hija inizjattiva tajba u jkun tajjeb li s-servizz jissaħħaħ. “Kelmuna xi bdiewa li qalulna li l-aċċess għal dan l-ilma għandu jkun jiddependi fuq l-ammont ta’ prodott agrikolu li jipproduċi l-bidwi flimkien mal-kobor tar-raba li jkun qed jaħdem, f’kelma waħda għall-bdiewa ġenwini. Ma nistgħux nifhmu kif qed jixxaħħu mal-bdiewa meta jingħad li wħud qed jingħataw aċċess għal dan l-ilma biex isaqqu ġonna privati ta’ vilel jew farmhouses konvertiti f’residenzi fil-kampanja. Dan l-ilma msaffi, li jirreferu għalih bħala new water, għandu jintuza biss mill-bdiewa u minn proġetti pubbliċi ta’ afforestazzjoni u għal proġetti ta’ restawr ekoloġiku.”

Proġett pożittiv, li sfortunatament ilu ġej snin twal issa huwa dak tal-Korporazzjoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma biex ittejjeb it-togħma tal-ilma tal-vit bil-għan li jonqos ix-xiri għal xejn, tal-ilma fil-fliexken. “Jekk hux fil-plastik jew fi fliexken tal-ħġieġ l-ilma fil-fliexken huwa ħela kbira ta’ riżorsi. Il-proġett tad-WSC, meta fl-aħħar jitwettaq, għandu jimbotta lil aktar u aktar nies jibdew jużaw l-ilma tal-vit għax-xorb. Diġà hemm sistemi ta’ filtraġġ tal-ilma għad-djar, imma ilma mill-vit b’togħma aħjar żgur li jgħin biex jonqos il-konsum u l-ħela ta’ riżorsi bil-fliexken li jintużaw darba biss.”

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Water: a resource that we do not care enough about

During a press conference held at l-Għajn tal-Ħasselin in Msida, speakers for ADPD-The Green Party stressed that not enough attention is being given to our water resources.  They remarked that because of years of neglect and inadequate planning, we are still facing the problem of public sewers overflowing into the streets after  heavy rainfall.  This is water provided by Nature and yet we keep throwing this resource away.  This can never be justified, not even if water were plentiful.

Architect Carmel Cacopardo, ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson, said that “Sewage ends up in the street because of the lack of enforcement when it comes to sanitation regulations.  These are not regulations that have been created today, but have been in effect for nearly 150 years.  Our ancestors sought to build houses adequately provided  with water cisterns for the harvesting of rainwater.  Now, contrary and in contrast to this, we have many residential buildings built without a water cistern, and thus water ends up in the streets or in the public sewers.  

We know the consequences of this change of practice: streets become flooded with rainwater, much of which should have been collected in underground residential water cisterns.  In some cases, flooded streets also smell of sewage, because the sewage system cannot cope with the sudden increase in rainwater, and as a result, the overflow is a mix of rainwater and sewage.

Cacopardo added that there are also consequences that are not immediately visible. “When the sewage system is overwhelmed by rainwater, unless this mixture ends up in the streets, it ends up in the sewage treatment plants, which are Ta’ Barkat in Xgħajra and il-Qammiegħ limits of Mellieħa.  After a storm, the sewage treatment plants are under pressure to process large quantities of water, and because the system cannot keep up with such large volumes, untreated sewage ends up in the sea.  It is a costly consequence, as well as polluting, and this can be avoided only if the authorities ensure that the law is observed.  It is the responsibility of the Planning Authority and the Water Services Corporation that such  regulations are observed.

The Planning Authority has the obligation to see that buildings are provided with water cisterns for the harvesting of rainwater, and when these are lacking, it should take action against those who do not abide by these laws.   The Water Services Corporation has the responsibility to ensure that the public sewers only take sewerage and nothing else.  It has the authority to take action when this does not happen.  However, this is not happening.  As a result, water from surrounding areas pools into the areas like Msida, and this poses a danger to all.

The Secretary General of ADPD – The Green Party, Dr Ralph Cassar, said that the distribution of purified sewage water for agriculture, which has been in operation for around 40 years, is an excellent initiative and this service should be strengthened. “Farmers have insisted with us that access to this water should only depend on the amount of agricultural produce a farmer produces and on the extent of the agricultural land under cultivation, that is for real farmers only. We cannot understand how one can be stingy with these farmers, knowing that this water is being syphoned off to water private gardens of villas or converted farmhouses in the countryside.  This is processed water, referred to as new water, which should be used only by farmers and public projects involving afforestation and ecological restoration.

It is unfortunate that the Water Services Corporation is taking too long to work on improving the taste of tap water with the aim of reducing the dependence on bottled water.  “Bottled water, whether plastic or glass bottles, is a waste of resources.  The corporation should prioritise this project, which is certainly beneficial, so that more and more people are encouraged to use tap water.  There are already government incentives for people to invest in home filtration systems, but having pleasant tasting water running in our taps is a very good incentive to lessen reliance on bottled water and the use of single-use bottles.”