Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1501675
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 JUNE 2023 NEWS Notary to Government and Public Registry Services in Gozo The Ministry for Gozo would like to inform the general public that the Notary to Government and the Public Registry services in Gozo, as from Wednesday the 21st of June 2023 and Friday the 30th of June 2023 respectively, will start being offered from the following address: 132, Ġorġ Borg Olivier Street, Victoria Gozo. Nearly two-thirds of your tap water comes from the sea 64% of Malta's tap water is produced in Reverse Osmosis, compared to 36% extracted from the water table, leading to a decrease in salinity of groundwater JAMES DEBONO THE total amount of water pro- duced from Reverse Osmosis plants has reached an all-time high of 22.8 million cubic me- tres, an average of 62,000 cb.m per day, the Water Services Cor- poration's annual report reveals. While desalinated water now accounts for 64% of the com- plete water blend – up from 57% in 2017 – groundwater now ac- counts for 36%, down from 43% in 2017. The increase of RO water in the blend has contributed to a de- crease in the salinity of tap wa- ter, because of its very blend of desalinated water and ground- water mixed in the corpora- tion's reservoirs. The higher the percentage of groundwater, the greater the need to treat it with chlorine to ensure it conforms to safety standards. Water salinity has been re- duced by 17% during 2022, compared to the average levels recorded in 2021. The target for 2023 is to stabilise the salinity level at 2022 levels. The WSC intends to further reduce water salinity when the new tunnel connecting the Pembroke RO Plant to the Ta' Qali group of reservoirs enters into operation. In 2022, the WSC produced a total of 35.5 million cb.m of potable water to meet water de- mand, an increase of 2.2 million cb.m in water production over five years ago. Peak summer production reached 71,000 cb.m per day in August, meaning production in this month is 13.5% higher than in 2021 both due to the increase in water demand and the need to improve the chloride level of the blend. Electricity bill stable, but set to increase by 7% Despite the increased reliance on the more energy-intensive RO process which consumes more electricity than ground- water pumps, the WSC electric- ity bill has decreased from €19.5 million in 2021 to €19.2 in 2022, largely thanks to increased effi- ciency. But the report now forecasts that the same bill will increase to €20.5 million which represents a 7% increase over 2022. The desalination unit within the WSC is currently upgrading the RO plants in Malta to in- crease the production capacity and improve energy efficiency, to ensure that desalinated wa- ter is produced at the minimum possible cost. About 52.9% of RO water in 2022 was produced from the Pembroke RO Plant, while the new plant in Ħondoq, Gozo, contributed 5% of the total de- salinated water. Although the Ħondoq RO plant operated un- der 'testing' conditions for the first few months of 2022, it ran continuously from May 2022, giving the corporation the flex- ibility to transfer RO water to Malta. Previously, the subma- rine pipeline was only utilised to supply water from the Ċirkewwa RO plant to Gozo. The Ħondoq RO plant is also the most efficient plant, con- suming 23.5% less energy than conventional plants, thus im- proving Malta's desalination ef- ficiency. Groundwater is currently ab- stracted from 68 boreholes and ten pumping stations in Mal- ta, and 37 boreholes and two pumping stations in Gozo. To relieve pressures on the water table in heavily depleted zones, the WSC has reactivated eight boreholes which were not being used. Improving the taste of tap water The WSC is currently working with the University of Malta's Food Sciences and Nutrition department in an EU-funded programme aimed at improving the taste of tap water by explor- ing alternatives to chlorination, which is presently the primary disinfection technology used for treating local potable water. While this ensures that tap wa- ter is completely safe for human health, it also contributes to its metallic taste thus discouraging the population from consuming it. The project has identified al- ternatives to chlorination. These included ultraviolet C (UVC) ir- radiation, a method using a spe- cific wavelength of ultraviolet light to neutralise microorgan- isms. Other methods included hydrodynamic cavitation, a pro- cess involving a sudden decrease in pressure which triggers the formation of vapour and gas bubbles inside a liquid medium and electro-chlorination, a dis- infection process achieved by by passing electric current through water. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Year Total produced (cb.m) Desalinated water (cb.m) Desalinated (% of total water) 2017 33.3 million 18.9 million 57% 2018 33.2 million 19.2 million 60% 2019 34.7 million 20.2 million 62% 2020 34.7 million 20.2 million 62% 2021 34.3 million 20.1 million 59% 2022 35.5 million 22.8 million 64%