An evidence based approach towards identifying illegal borehole activity

Abstract

This dissertation provides a novel approach for Malta to move towards a more cost-effective, yet more efficient, method of enforcement against illegal water abstraction. Freshwater resources are in a poor qualitative and quantitative status and will require determined action to ensure that over abstraction, and associated sea water intrusion, are eliminated in order to improve the status of groundwater bodies. This project aims to show, that the use of Earth Observation technology can be a realistic solution to potentially identify illegal water abstractions in Malta, and can serve as the foundation for an intelligence-based service for efficient action against illegal water abstraction activity. The results suggest that 10.45% of all agricultural land in Malta is suspect of potential illegal water abstraction activity. This, over and above the fact that there is no allocation policy for water, more than 7000 registered boreholes and an unknown number of illegal ones from where water is abstracted without any tariff. The twenty most suspicious individual farm parcels account for 0.81 km2 of agricultural land area in Malta. This intelligence-based approach contends that targeted site inspections of these agricultural holdings would be directed by Earth Observation technology with a view to determine physical corroborative proof of illegal practices. An area equivalent to 41.37% of the irrigated agricultural land in the agricultural year 2008-2009 is suspected of illegal groundwater abstraction. This research shows not only that the data exists, but also that with a knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and a good understanding of water resources issues, enforcement can be rendered more effective. Whilst recognising that the degree and intensity of enforcement will be subject to the political will prevailing at the time of adoption, Malta has lagged too far behind in some environmental areas and corrective action is warranted.