News | Sunday, 08 February 2009

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Private boreholes extract more water than Water Services

James Debono
An estimated 19.5 million cubic metres of water were extracted from private boreholes in 2007, far higher than the 14 million cubic metres of water that the Water Services Corporation extracted.
The revelation, confirmed by resources minister George Pullicino in parliament, shows the degree of extraction by private citizens with both legal, and illegally-dug boreholes.
Even worse is the fact that while annual rainfall refills the underground aquifers with just 23 million cubic metres, Malta is extracting 35 million cubic metres from both private and public boreholes – 12 million cubic metres more than it should.
Extraction by the WSC decreased from 15 million cubic metres in 2003 to 13 million cubic meters in 2006. But it increased to 14 million cubic metres in 2007.
The information provided by Pullicino sharply contrasts with claims made by his predecessor Ninu Zammit, who in 2006 claimed in parliament that the balance between extraction and refill from rainwater was 1 million cubic metres.
His claims were even confirmed by the Malta Resources Authority, whose chief executive said the estimated abstraction from aquifers was “comparable” to the total potential annual groundwater yield from the aquifers.
But despite providing these alarming figures, Pullicino has so far refrained from introducing meters that could put a cost on the private extraction of groundwater. Instead he has announced a registration scheme, which so far brought forward 2,643 new registered boreholes.
This brings the number of registered boreholes in the country to 8,643 after 6,000 boreholes were previously registered in a similar exercise carried out by the Alfred Sant administration in 1997.
Although registered these boreholes remain illegal, because the WSC remains the only licensed body to extract water from the aquifer. Pullicino said back in October at the launch of the scheme that still needed the “full picture” on boreholes before introducing meters that could charge registered borehole users.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt

Illegal water extraction
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/12/10/t12.html

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