Water Resources in Malta

Kevin Gatt

Faculty for the Built Environment

University of Malta

Sustainability of Water Resources

Main Characteristics

• Land area 316km2

• Annual rainfall – circa 550mm • Population – 412,970• Population density – 1307 inhabitants/km2

• Urbanised area – 23%• Average daily tourist population – 32,000• Hence Malta can be defined as:

• Being densely populated• Highly urbanised• Placing a considerable demand on natural resources

Water Resources

• Total water production (metered) – 30.8 million m3

• Desalinated water constitutes 54.8% of total production• Groundwater contributes 45.2% of all metered water• Hence water production is energy intensive• Pressures on groundwater are high particularly due to

illegal abstraction

Water Use

• Households – 67%• Industrial Activities – 8%• Manufacturing Industries – 7%• Other activities – 16%• Domestic use presents a ‘heavy’ demand on total

water resources and makes households an important stakeholder in promoting the sustainable use of water

Water Use….. A Consumption Based Perspective in the Economy

• Taking into account the economic sectors, which consume around 14.2% of total production, the heavy consumers are:• Hotels and Restaurants - 23.07%;• Manufacture of food products and beverages – 16.50%• Health and social work – 11.05%• Public administration and defence – 7.41%;• Agriculture – 5.85%;

Water Use….. An Employment Based Perspective in the Economy

• Employment is most pronounced in the following sectors:• Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles, motorcycles and

personal and household goods• Real estate, renting and business activities• Manufacturing• Hotels and restaurants• Education• Other community, social and personal service activities• Transport, storage and communication• Construction

• Can employment be an indicator of how industry can save upon its ‘service water’ component?

The Water Framework Directive

• As there is no permanent river in Malta, the River BasinManagement Plan has been renamed the WaterCatchment Management Plan (WCMP) for the MalteseIslands.

• The aim of this plan is to set out ways how to protect,enhance and improve the water environment of Maltaand Gozo.

• These environmental objectives, in terms of groundwater,focus on achieving good status for all water bodies by2015 - good chemical and good quantitative status forgroundwater

Threats to Groundwater

• Main issues placing groundwater at risk:• Pollution by nitrates• Intrusion of saline waters• Overabstraction

• Main sources are anthropogenic:• Nitrates – leaching from cultivated soils (diffuse), animal husbandry

(point), urban sewer systems (point)• Chlorides – overabstraction (public and private sectors) especially from

sea-level and coastal groundwater bodies• Overabstraction – excessive dependencies on groundwater as well as cost

of desalinated water

Threats to Groundwater

• Extraction of groundwater estimated at about 34 millionm3 a year (MRA, 2005)

• Represents 11 million m3 more than the MRA'srecommendations for sustainable extraction (FAO, 2006).

• Latest figures for groundwater abstraction (NSO, 2009)show that total abstraction from the aquifer amounts toaround 14 million m3.

• Is the balance between estimated abstraction and WSCabstracted water which amounts to 20 million m3 legallyor illegally abstracted unmetered water?

Threats to Groundwater

Pictorially - Quantitative

Pictorially – Qualitative

How sustainable is this scenario?

Impact of Climate Changeon Water Resources

Prevailing Climate

• First National Communication to the UNFCCC - Malta:• increase in mean annual air temperature of about 0.5 Celsius in 77 years• maximum local temperature increased by 1.5 Celsius, while the minimum

decreased by 0.8 Celsius over the same period• rainfall patterns show a relatively high spatial variability over the Maltese

territory and no definite trend in the observed precipitation• little change in rainfall during winter and summer, with a decrease of 0.14

mm per year in spring and an increase of 0.8 mm per year in autumn• increase in the daily maximum rainfall with the absolute number of days

with rainfall in the range 1– 50 mm is decreasing• decrease in mean annual cloud cover amounts to -0.3 oktas since 1965• duration of bright sunshine has decreased by an average of 0.6 hours per

day since 1923

Prevailing Climate

• Future Scenarios – IPPC FAR:• warming of the climate system is unequivocal• eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the twelve

warmest years with a 100-year linear trend (1906-2005) of 0.74 C whichis larger than the corresponding trend of 0.6 C (1901-2000)

• global average sea level has risen since 1961 at an average rate of1.8mm/yr and since 1993 at 3.1mm/yr

• between 1900 to 2005 precipitation quantities declined in theMediterranean

• over the past 50 years: cold days, cold nights and frosts have become lessfrequent over most land areas, and hot days and hot nights have becomemore frequent

• frequency of heavy precipitation events has increased over most areas

Prevailing Climate

• Future Scenarios – Malta – MAGIC C/SCENGEN:• There may be uncertainties that will need to be

monitored over time

Implications

Implications

Malta’s SNC

• Subdivided into a number of thematic areas• Governance• Capacity Building• Research and Monitoring• Education and Communications• Acceptance of Certain Impacts• Prevention

• Complemented by National Strategy for Policy and AbatementMeasures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse GasEmissions

Malta’s Water Policy

Vision

• Government’s vision for water resources is the utilisationof water resources in a manner that is environmentallyand economically sustainable, providing the right amountof water for people, agriculture, commerce and industry,and an improved water-related environment whilstrecognizing the effects of climate change.

Main Conclusions

• The main conclusions of the strategy that was formulatedwere:• Water is a scarce resource and in many places, further

improvements to the water environment are necessary.• Continued availability of a reliable good-quality public water supply

is essential. Efficient water use is also vital. Water efficiencyshould be promoted actively in the context of Government’sbroader social and environmental policies including the protectionof vulnerable households. Further attention to leakage control willalso be necessary.

• Options for the full utilization of non-conventional sources ofwater should be actively investigated and exploited.

Main Conclusions

• The main conclusions of the strategy that was formulatedwere:• Water demand for agriculture is recognized as an essential area for

this sector’s development and thus agriculture must continue touse available water to best effect. Farmers should be trained inthe utilisation of smart irrigation techniques and directed towardscrop suitability in order to enhance the sustainability of the sector.

• More attention to water efficiency and re-use is required fromcommerce and industry. In many cases, water saving initiatives canpay for themselves in a short period of time. Active promotion ofgood water-practices is essential.

Main Conclusions

• The main conclusions of the strategy that was formulatedwere:• Increased awareness and education on protection and sustainable

use of water resources is key to the objectives of the water policy

Policy Areas

• Supply of good quality water for human consumption• Government will seek to ensure a reliable, sufficient and good

quality supply of water for human consumption in accordance tointernational standards, health guidelines and best practice.

• Sustainable groundwater use• Government will seek long-term sustainable management and

exploitation of groundwater resources, meeting the needs ofexisting users and without compromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs

Policy Areas • Water demand management.

• In ensuring water demand requirements are attained, Governmentwill support and promote water demand management objectivesin water planning policies as an alternative to supplyaugmentation.

• Optimisation & Use of non-conventional water resources• Government will seek to promote cost-effective utilisation of non

conventional water resources, particularly treated sewage effluentfor secondary uses including agriculture, landscaping and certainindustries.

• Government will seek to optimise use of desalination, andcontinue to minimise the energy demand and environmentalimpacts of the desalination plants.

Policy Areas • Rainwater harvesting

• Government will continue to investigate and exploit opportunitiesfor the capturing and utilisation of rainwater in a cost-effectivemanner as a means of increasing the use of renewable waterresources whilst reducing reliance on groundwater and other non-conventional water sources.

• Protection of water resources from pollution• Government will seek to attain good qualitative status of all water

resources in line with requirements of Water Framework Directivewhilst taking into account cost-effectiveness and feasibility ofmeasures to attain such status

Policy Areas • Protection of freshwater ecosystems

• Government will promote the protection of freshwaterssupporting terrestrial ecosystems to ensure that endemicbiodiversity is sustained.

• Effective and transparent regulation of the water industry• Government will seek effective and transparent regulation of the

water industry to ensure the supply and provision of water andsewerage services at affordable cost, suitable levels of service andpromotion of best practice in the industry.

Policy Areas • Efficient, fair and equitable water pricing

• Government will take into account the principle of recovery ofcosts of water services and will provide incentives to encourageefficiency of water use, whilst giving due recognition to the socialimpact of cost-recovery, in line with the requirements of the WaterFramework Directive.

• Reduction & management of risks associated with floods• Government will continue to promote and adopt strategies and

measures to protect human lives, health, the quality of theenvironment and avert other damage to assets from the impactsof floods.

Policy Areas • Adaptation to climate change

• Government will continue to assess impacts of climate change onwater resources and adopt appropriate adaptation measures tosafeguard the sustainability of the resource.

• Horizontal measures – Public Information, consultation,research and development• Government will seek to facilitate access to information on water

policy issues, promote research and development in the sector andraise awareness on the strategic and economic importance ofwater.

Conclusion

Conclusions • Malta has a true water problem• The natural resource is limited and threatened and

augmentation by other means is costly economically,socially and environmentally

• Climate change can only aggravate the problem• Government strategies have been developed• We need to accept change for sustainable water

resources• We need to act not just centrally but also on an individual

level• Mainstreaming water consciousness is a must

Conclusions • The status quo is not an option• Behavioural change is a must• The value of the resource needs to be understood and felt• Key principles such as efficiency, polluter pays and cost

recovery need to be enshrined in all decision making aswell as in our actions

• They key to success does not depend solely on centralistinterventions but on the action of each and every one ofus

• Sustainable development needs to become our credo

Thank you for your attention