The hereunder article in occassion of World Water Day which happens to be today, was taken from Vida Magazine as it showed wonderfully the problem we are facing with regards to water here in Malta. However, the shortage of water is present all over the world and its important for everyone to understand how critical the problem can be.
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We use thousands of litres of water everyday without realising that Malta has the lowest volume of water from natural resources in the world. With little rainfall, a history of irresponsible water consumption and a densely populated territory, no other country in the world has so many people with so little water. Even countries with much drier climates have more water resources than Malta.
When we drive through the countryside in summer and see farmers' fields flourishing with all kinds of crops we may be fooled into thinking that the water shortage problem is being overrated. You might ask - how can we have no water if our streets are flooded whenever it rains?
Hydrologist Marco Cremona explains that these misconceptions are hiding a very big problem- in less than 15 years time Malta's underground natural water sources will be completely depleted. When this happens, all tap water we use in our homes and businesses will have to be supplied from revese osmosis (RO)plants, which require huge electricity consumption. Consequently, the cost of producing water will be more expensive, possibly pushing up water tariffs four or five times higher than they are now.
The Water Services Corporation which provides tap water in our homes, gets over half of its supplies from RO plants (57%) and another 12 billion litres of water a year from the aquifiers (water table).
An additional 20 billion litres are annually pumped from aquifiers by the private sector, including water suppliers, farmers, the construction, manufacturing and hotel industries, water bottling companies and other businesses. These pay nothing to extract water from the aquifiers through boreholes, leading to rampant abuse. While the country's aquifiers can only support an annual extraction of up to 23 billion litres of water, currently over 33 billion litres are being pumped every year.
As more water is pumped from the aquifier by the private sector, the quantities that the Corporation can extract will have to be reduced, and replenished by the more expensive RO plants. This happens because when too much water is extracted from an aquifier, its salinity levels increase, rendering it unfit for drinking. If over- extraction continues, eventually all the aquifiers will be ruined.
When Malta's underground sources are unuasable (in 15 years time if the current trend continues) the country will be solely dependent on RO water. This is a big risk- what happens if all the country's RO plants suddenly stop functioning due to a power cut, natural disaster or if the sea is contanimated with an oil spill? In this scenario, Malta will run our of water in two days.
How can we help conserve water?
- Collect rainwater from your roof in a well or tank to use for gardening, cleaning floors, cars and flushing toilets.
- Buy water saving gadgets for your home
- Reduce toilet flushing wastage by using water displacement device (a plastic container filled with water and put in the flushing)
- Do not leave the tap running while brushing your teeth or having a shower
- Fix leaks- dripping taps waste almost 500 litres of water a month
- Choose water saving appliances and preferably use washing machines or dishwashers when they have a full load only.