Qed joqrob is-sajf u l-konsum tal-ilma jiżdied mhux bi ftit. Bejn biex jinxtorob, it-tisqija u l-ħasil, l-ilma hu riżorsa importanti. Però f’Malta ftit li xejn tingħata importanza avolja ma għandniex sorsi ta’ ilma bħal xmajjar. Dan qaluh kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party meta indirizzaw konferenza tal-aħbarijiet barra l-uffiċju ewlieni tal-Korporazzajoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma f’Ħal Luqa.

Il-Perit Carmel Cacopardo, Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party qal li skont il-Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+) Malta spiċċat fit-tieni post wara Ċipru fl-iskarsezza tal-ilma. Missirijietna kienu jaħżnu l-ilma tax-xita fil-bjar. Din id-drawwa ilha parti mil-liġijiet tagħna kważi mija u ħamsin sena, imma hemm nuqqas kbir fl-osservanza tagħha. Biżżejjed inħarsu fit-toroq tagħna anke wara li tagħmel ftit xita u nindunaw malajr li ftit ħafna qed jinħażen. Kwantità kbira ta’ ilma jispiċċa fit-toroq u daqstant ieħor jispiċċa fis-sistema tad-drenaġġ. B’hekk apparti li naħlu l-ilma ngħabbu ukoll l-impjanti tat-tisfija tad-drenaġġ bi kwantità kbira ta’ ilma tax-xita mħallat mad-drenaġġ. 

Għal darba oħra nistaqsu: x’inhu jsir mill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar u mill-Korporazzjoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma biex ikun assigurat li l-ilma tax-xita jinġabar fil-bjar? Ir-risposta nieħduha mit-toroq waqt li tkun nieżla x-xita. Ftit li xejn qed isir. Kieku kien mod ieħor konna nosservaw titjib fl-istat tat-toroq tagħna waqt il-maltemp. Il-maltempata ta’ din il-ġimgħa, għal darba oħra hi l-ikbar risposta. Imma minflok titjib qed naraw l-affarijiet sejrin għall-agħar. Il-ħażna u l-użu tal-ilma tax-xita jnaqqas il-piż fuq sorsi oħrajn ta’ ilma li nagħmlu użu minnhom. Kemm l-ilma tal-pjan (il-ftit li baqa’)  kif ukoll dak ippurifikat mill-baħar permezz tar-reverse osmosis. Kellna opportunità ta’ investiment ta’ miljuni ta’ Euro meta saru l-mini taħt l-art biex fihom jinġabar l-ilma tax-xita. Minflok ma nħazen, il-parti l-kbira tiegħu qed jintefa’ l-baħar.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Sandra Gauci qalet li t-tibdil fil-klima għandu konsegwenzi serji fejn jidħol l-ilma. Il-problema tad-deżertifikazzjoni qed tmiss anke lil Malta avolja qed ninjorawha. Is-sjuf sħan ħafna li qed ikollna u x-xtiewi li jixbħu aktar pajjiż ta’ klima tropikali, juru li l-bidla qed issir malajr. Bħala pajjiż għandna nuru għaqal u nagħmlu l-parti tagħna fil-bidla fil-klima. Il-fatt li aħna zgħar mhix skuża biex ma nagħmlux il-parti tagħna. Ħadd mill-oħrajn m’huwa qed jgħid il-verità dwar il-bżonn urġenti li niffaċċjaw din l-isfida.

Hemm bżonn politika li verament tqis din l-isfida ta’ importanza kbira. Hemm bżonn li miżuri ta’ konservazzjoni tal-ilma jkunu ta’ importanza anke meta nibnu u nippjanaw it-toroq tagħna. L-ilma mhux riżorsa infinita u li tkun bla ilma fl-2025 f’pajjiż li jrid l-eċċellenza fit-turiżmu u jrid ikun kompetittiv mhux aċċettabbli. Il-gvern għandu jkun minn ta’ quddiem biex jinċentiva konservazzjoni tal-ilma u jekk proġett ma jkollux dawn il-kriterji ta’ konservazzjoni magħġuna fih ma jiġix aċċettat. Għal Viżjoni 2050, mid-dehra maqbul bejn il-gvern u l-oppożizzjoni parlamentari, l-għaqal fl-użu tar-riżorsi, inkluż l-ilma mhux prijorità. L-ilma rridu nibżgħu għalih!

Conserving water, a finite resource

With summer round the corner, water consumption is expected to increase dramatically.  Whether for drinking, watering or washing, water is an important resource.  However, in Malta very little importance is given to water in spite of the fact that we do not have natural sources of fresh water such as rivers.  This was highlighted by speakers for ADPD-The Green Party during a press conference opposite the Water Services Corporation head office in Ħal Luqa.

Architect Carmel Cacopardo, Deputy Chairperson of ADPD, said that “according to the Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+), which measures water scarcity, Malta was in second place following Cyprus.  Our forefathers used to store rainwater in wells.  This practice has also been considered a legal obligation for nearly a hundred and fifty years, however, little is being done to ensure that these laws are enforced.   Just look at our roads after some rain and you will realise that very little is being collected for storage.  Large quantities of rainwater end up on the roads and in the sewage system.  So besides wasting water, we also overload the sewage treatment plants with large quantities of water.  The end result is sewage overflow.”

Once again we ask: what are the Planning Authority and the Water Services Corporation doing to assure that rainwater is collected in our wells?  We can look to our flooded roads for the answer to that.  Very little, if anything.  It would have been different if we had better quality roads to deal effectively with rainstorms.  The storm that we witnessed earlier this week was the answer.  However, instead of seeing things improve, we are seeing the opposite.  The storage and use of rainwater would reduce pressure on other sources of water that we currently use, which is the little remaining groundwater and the water which is purified by reverse osmosis.  We had the opportunity to invest millions of euros into this when tunnels were being excavated to collect accumulated stormwater.  Instead of harvesting this stormwater, most of it ends up dumped in the sea.

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that climate change plays an important part in any issues concerning water.  The threat of desertification is also affecting Malta, aggravating the water problem.  The extremely hot summers that we are having, and winters which are akin to those in a tropical climate, are showing us that change is happening fast.  As a country we should be cautious and do what we can to combat climate change.  The fact that we are a small island state is not an excuse we can hide behind.  There is a need for a politics that truly takes on these extremely important challenges.  There is the need for measures for water conservation, and which are taken into account when we build and repair our roads.  Water is not an infinite resource, and for a country that strives to be a competitive country and a tourist destination of excellence in the year 2025, this waste of water is unacceptable.  The government must be at the vanguard of water conservation.  If a project does not meet criteria of water conservation, it should not be given the go-ahead. Such is the neglect of the essential issue of resource use, including of water, that it is not even tackled seriously in Vision 2050, which has been ‘welcomed’ by both government and the parliamentary opposition. We must treat water seriously.