The pressures on water resources in Malta have long been recognised when reliance on natural freshwater resources was deemed insufficient and alternative water production methods in the form of distillation and subsequently desalination had to be resorted to. The share of desalinated water in potable water production has been on the rise, reinforcing in a quantitative manner, the dependency Malta has on alternative water resources. Interestingly, of the billed water consumption, over 65% is attributed to households. Billed water consumption is that water consumption which is accounted for by the WSC’s billing system and which refer to the actual consumption recorded by meter readers. It does not include illegal abstraction which might take place.
The extraction of groundwater has reached levels which exceed sustainable extraction. The amount of recharge is insufficient to make up drawdown volumes. Malta’s degree of urbanisation has led to the increase in runoff volumes which are often lost to the sea or to evaporation. Urban spaces and buildings need to factor in water centric design as part of the design concept such that stormwater generated therefrom can be utilised as close as possible to such source. Moreover, Malta requires a developmental framework that integrates green infrastructure across the rest of our infrastructure. For existing infrastructural development, sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) can be retrofitted whilst new infrastructural projects should cater for the integration of this type of infrastructure. Buildings need to be more water centric, redefining the size of wells but ensuring that all stormwater generated from buildings can be used. Other modern ideas could be the use of communal SUDS to accommodate runoff from buildings that cannot realistically factor in the construction of cisterns. The dual supply system of potable and second class water needs to be thoroughly enforced for buildings to become truly water centric.
The most significant body of legislation governing water resources is the Water Policy Framework Regulations which transposes the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) into Maltese legislation. The Directive provides for the long-term sustainable management of water resources on the basis of a high level of protection of the aquatic environment. With regard to groundwater, the main aims of the legislation can be outlined as follows:
The Faculty for the Built Environment, through our Department, is keen to work with local entities such as the Energy and Water Agency, the Planning Authority, the Environment and Resources Authority and the Building and Construction Agency, amongst others, with a view to put forward proposals to ensure water centricity across the Maltese Islands.