Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1509248
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 OCTOBER 2023 NEWS Co-funded by the European Union CALL FOR TENDERS As part of the project 101083556 Strengthening Knowledge on Integration and Non-Discrimination (SKIN), the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) is requesting submissions for the provision of: REFERENCE: SPD4/2023/054 TENDER TITLE: Service tender for the provision of venues and refreshments taking into consideration seasonality and minimising waste generation for the project SKIN for the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) Any queries should be sent through e-PPS by not later than Thursday, 12 th October at 09:30. Closing date for submission of tenders is Thursday, 26 th October, 2023 at 09:30 CET. All submissions should be carried out on the e-PPS https://www.etenders.gov.mt NCPE, Gattard House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda ĦMR 9010 Tel: 2276 8200 E-mail: equality@gov.mt Web: www.ncpe.gov.mt Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme 2021-2027 Project part-financed by the European Union Co-financing rate: 90% EU funds; 10% National Funds JAMES DEBONO AS part of an EU-mandated management plan aimed at safe- guarding Malta's inland and underground water resources, a new licensing system is being considered. The system will apply to those who currently extract water from the ground without payment. This plan being drafted by the Environment and Resources Au- thority and the Energy & Water Agency, is a national requirement stemming from the EU's Water Framework Directive (WFD). The directive obliges member states to develop River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) focusing on a comprehensive approach to water protection, including groundwater, inland surface waters, transitional wa- ters, and coastal waters. The plan, along with the meas- ures proposed to improve the sit- uation, has been recently released for public consultation. The measures included in the plan aim to establish a "licensing framework" for better regulation of groundwater extraction by users in the agricultural, com- mercial, and domestic sectors. This licensing framework will fa- cilitate the implementation of "a water pricing policy" designed to safeguard water availability and user needs by encouraging effi- cient water use, thus improving the status of Malta's aquifers. Additionally, this new system will incentivize responsible oper- ators while addressing inefficient water consumption practices. Studies supporting the plan reveal that all of Malta's under- ground water bodies, known as aquifers, either exhibit negative chemical conditions due to ni- trate presence or are being de- pleted because of excessive ab- straction. The study indicates that Mal- ta's and Gozo's mean sea level aquifers, which are freshwater lenses floating atop seawater, are losing more water due to extrac- tion than they gain from rainfall, classifying them as having poor quantitative status. Putting an End to the Free-for-All Situation Statistics presented in parlia- ment reveal that the equivalent of 108 million two-litre bottles of water were extracted for free from the ground and sold as wa- ter or carbonated soft drinks by beverage producers between 2016 and 2021. Another parliamentary question disclosed that construc- tion companies extracted the equivalent of 200 million bottles of water between 2014 and 2021. Malta currently has 8,058 regis- tered boreholes, with roughly half of them registered with the au- thorities in 1997 and the rest un- der a different registration scheme introduced in 2008. Subsequently, a metering system was imple- mented to measure groundwater abstraction. Shallow wells (spieri) extracting water from perched aq- uifer systems were not included. Official figures from 2019 show that the commercial sector, in- cluding water bottling companies and bowsers, now accounts for one-fifth of the metered abstrac- tions, while agriculture accounts for the remaining four-fifths. In the same year, four boreholes ex- tracted over 60,000 cubic meters of water, up from three in 2018. Three of these boreholes are used for agricultural purposes, while one serves commercial interests. Considering resource and envi- ronmental costs in pricing One of the measures contem- plated in the plan, which could impact water pricing in Malta, is the development of a study fo- cused on assessing the environ- mental and resource costs and benefits associated with water use. This study aims to provide the necessary information to guide the future application of Article 9 of the Water Framework Direc- tive. Article 9 requires Member States to consider the principle of recovering the costs of water services, including environmen- tal and resource costs. Currently, the resource cost of extracting groundwater, which accounts for a third of the drinking water supply, is not factored into water pricing. This study will serve as a foundation for an equitable wa- ter pricing policy that takes into account the environmental, eco- nomic, and social costs and ben- efits associated with various water usage activities. Furthermore, another measure under consideration in the plan is reducing the Water Services Corporation's reliance on ground- water by increasing the use of de- salinated water. According to the plan, expanded desalination plant capacity will allow for a higher proportion of desalinated water in the municipal water supply, enhancing drinking water quality and ensuring greater compliance with the Drinking Water Direc- tive's indicator parameters. This measure will also lead to a reduction in the volume of groundwater extracted by the WSC. Given that desalination plants consume significant energy, this measure will be accompanied by infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving energy efficiency. Recharging the Pwales aquifer Another measure outlined in the plan involves injecting clean water into the Pwales aquifer system, lo- cated in the northern region of the island of Malta. Studies indicate that the Pwales Valley groundwa- ter system currently has high con- centrations of nitrate and chloride due to intense agricultural activi- ty, leading to the overexploitation of the aquifer system. Injecting high-quality recharge water into the water table will not only in- crease the available groundwater but also dilute and flush out con- taminants from the groundwater body. An end to free water? Government plan proposes groundwater pricing policy Statistics presented in parliament reveal that the equivalent of 108 million two-litre bottles of water were extracted for free from the ground