Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514108
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JANUARY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A lack of rain, dry land and a hotter climate are causing stress on fresh water sources across the Mediterranean region. But what if we were to dig down deep into the earth to extract fresh water that has been preserved for millions of years? The proposal is not outlandish as it seems. Indeed, the Great Man-Made River project in Libya, conceived in the 1980s, does exact- ly this. Water is extracted from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer system below the desert in the south and transported towards the cit- ies along the Mediterranean coast. This fossil water, as it is called in common parlance, has now been discovered in vast quantities deep below the Hyblean Moun- tains in south east Sicily. Researchers, including Professor Aaron Micallef from the University of Malta, used deep oil well analysis techniques combined with advanced 3-D modelling to document the existence of an extensive fresh or brack- ish groundwater body in Sicily. The volume of the groundwater source is estimated at 17.3 cubic kilometres and is preserved at depths ranging between 800m and 2,100m. "Deep groundwater resources around the world may represent an important uncon- ventional source of potable water that can support growing needs, also linked to global population growth," Lorenzo Lipparini, the lead researcher, said. The research was a collaboration between the University of Malta, the Istituto Nazion- ale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the University of Roma Tre. The study reveals the presence of unprec- edented groundwater resources in the Gela Formation, a Triassic carbonate platform in the subsurface of southern Sicily. The researchers said the fresh water body was probably formed about six million years ago when the sea level in the eastern Med- iterranean basin dropped to 2,400m below the current sea level. "We have reconstructed that this lower- ing of the sea level, which occurred about 6 million years ago, reached 2,400m below the current sea level, creating favourable condi- tions for the infiltration of meteoric waters and the accumulation and preservation of this precious water resource underground," Lipparini said. He said these fresh and brackish waters could have diversified uses, from potable systems to other uses in industry and agri- culture. "This innovative approach could, in fact, be extended to other areas of the Mediterrane- an characterised by water scarcity and simi- lar geological conditions," he added. The researchers said the results will allow further studies to try and identify possible new fossil water bodies in Malta, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Tur- key. "We have utilised the team's expertise, de- veloped in particular in the field of oil explo- ration, to search, this time, for potential valu- able deep groundwater resources to support sustainable development, which will also enable the challenges of water security to be addressed," the research team said. Damiano Chiacchieri, a PhD student at Ro- ma Tre University and Roberto Bencini, col- laborator at the University of Bologna, where the other researchers on the team. The scientific study was published in Na- ture Portfolio's journal Communications Earth and Environment. The Project has been listed as an 'action' at the UN Water Conference in March 2023 and, in the near future, the team plans to evaluate a development plan and project to utilise these waters. Funding for this research was provided through a Marie Curie Grant project with the University of Malta, the support of the Roma Tre University and INGV. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Fossil water discovered deep beneath Sicily could quench today's thirst Study involving University of Malta reveals presence of large fresh water body formed some six million years ago deep beneath the Hyblean Mountains in Sicily A proposed glass lift on top of the Macina hotel in Isla is un- acceptable because it negatively impacts the skyline, a case officer has concluded. The lift would have a nega- tive visual impact on long dis- tance views in this Area of High Landscape Value, the report says. Senglea Hotel Operations is proposing an extension of the existing external lift and the construction of a bridge to connect the pool area with the roof. The proposal presented last year also includes the clad- ding of the restaurant's facade. The Macina is a Knights-era building that occupies a dom- inant position on the Isla sea- front and once served as the Labour Party's headquarters. According to the case officer, the proposed lift extension would be highly conspicuous since it exceeds the height of the rear bastions creating a negative visual impact on the scheduled fortification. The report also concludes that the proposed extensions would change the external ap- pearance of the Macina and would therefore detract from the historical value of this im- portant building. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage has already ex- pressed "grave concern" on the proposed lift extension noting that this "will make it stand proud on the surrounding structures rendering it evident- ly conspicuous." Following the submission of photomontages showing the visual impact of the proposed additions, the Design Advisory Committee, a panel which ad- vises the Planning Authority on design issues, concluded that the proposal will have a delete- rious impact on the Cottonera Area of High Landscape Value and has called for a revised pro- posal mitigating this impact. The Isla local council is ob- jecting to the proposed devel- opment warning this will have a negative visual impact on its surroundings. A final decision by the Plan- ning Commission is scheduled for 17 January. PA set to refuse 'unacceptable' lift on Macina hotel