Carry on drilling, Pullicino tells borehole users

James Debono
Illegal borehole users will face draconian fines for failing to register their boreholes, but they will still not pay a cent for draining the country’s endangered water table.
Admitting that illegal extraction from the water table had reached unsustainable proportions, Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino yesterday said he still needs to look at the “full picture” before introducing meters to charge registered borehole users.
Pullicino himself admitted that Malta is extracting 34 million cubic metres from its water table, when it should be extracting 23 million cubic metres a year.
Pullicino has now taken a leaf from Alfred Sant’s short-lived government by calling all those who illegally extract water from boreholes to register their activity.
Anyone failing to register will be liable to a maximum fine of €18,600 – the same fines imposed by the Sant administration in 1997. Registration of boreholes will cost €230.
The only bold step taken by Pullicino is to declare a moratorium on the drilling of new boreholes for the next year.
While anyone drilling new boreholes will be liable to a maximum €68,600 fine for failing to register and for breaching the moratorium, it will be business as usual for those who now register their boreholes.
It will also be business as usual for the 6,000 borehole users who had their illegal activity registered in 1997 and will not be required to register again.
Still, Pullicino has made it clear that registration does not entail the legalisation of boreholes which will be registered in the next month. “One should not interpret the notification of boreholes as an automatic right to extract water… The aim of this exercise is not that of issuing permits for borehole users but to give us a full picture.”
But Pullicino promised that by the beginning of next year, the government will be issuing a public consultation document aimed at ensuring the sustainability of Malta’s underground water resources.
He did not exclude that charges on extraction from boreholes will be introduced at that stage.
According to Pullicion, 16 million cubic metres of underground water is used by farmers while 3 million cubic metres are used for tourist, industrial and domestic purposes.
Pullicino also signalled that the government’s intention to consider the re-use of a daily supply of over 72,000 cubic metres of treated sewage from Malta’s three sewage treatment plants when they are fully operational by the end of 2009. “This should be part of the wider picture and strategy but one should remember that although this water is treated from dangerous bacteria it remains too saline to be used directly by farmers.”
Asked whether it is unjust to expect the people to pay higher water tariffs while some people will continue extracting water without even paying for it, Pullicino replied that “we can’t jump the gun by adding more problems to existing ones.”
Neither was he concerned by the prospect that if water tariffs are increased, people will more likely buy illegally extracted water from bowsers.
“Not everyone has access to boreholes,” he said, ignoring the fact that people are already buying water from bowsers to water their lawns.

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