Letters | Sunday, 26 April 2009

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EU directives not being enforced

Ever since Malta’s accession to the EU, a continuous tranche of environmental legislation has been transposed into local legislation. Amongst there are the Nitrates Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the Groundwater Directive. All three directives have the scope of safeguarding our groundwater resources, from a number of deleterious impacts, including discharge of nitrates and other pollutants from agricultural activities. Chicken manure is of major concern in view of its acidic content, besides the high percentage of nitrates. Its utilisation in fields as a fertiliser is therefore not subscribed to by local agricultural authorities, whilst the same environmental directives Malta is party to preclude its use close to zones designed as aquifer recharge zones.
Referring to the indiscriminate use of chicken manure in a field in Siggiewi close to the Salib ta’l-Gholja, very little enforcement is actually being actuated when it comes to adherence to environmental directives safeguarding our groundwater resources.
A few days preceding the taking of this photo, days of incessant raining had been witnessed and the area in question was completely flooded, with the probable consequence that nitrates leached from the mound of manure into the groundwater. Whilst attempts by government to curb the abuse of groundwater are welcomed, much more needs to be done to prevent the contamination of the same aquifer resources.

Dr Alan Deidun
Gudja

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