Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522634
9 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2024 THE national body tasked with the organisation of national festivities has issued a market consultation call in a bid to find 24 warehouses that will be used for carnival floats. Festivals Malta is in the process of building a so- called 'Culture Hub' in Marsa, which will include Mal- ta's carnival village and space for band-rehearsals. While the construction works will be taking place, the warehouses are needed on a temporary basis for the storage of carnival floats and would be leased for a period of four years. Festivals Malta said it wants the warehouses to be in the same location, readily finished, and of a minimum 80 feet in length, with enough space in front of the warehouse for a 20ft trailer to be able to turn to the street with minimum effort. Festivals Malta is a government body that is tasked with the organisation of national festivals and cultural events in Malta and Gozo. The agency was launched in 2017 and entrusted with a varied portfolio of fes- tivals, and how organises 8 festivals and five national events. The Planning Authority recently approved a cultural hub set to include a 5D cinema, carnival workshops, dance studios, and rehearsal space for rock band in Marsa's Albert Town. The new building to be developed over 19,280 sq.m is being proposed instead of the government garage in the industrial area near the Marsa abattoir. The PA board unanimously voted in favour of the project, for which the authorities applied for EU funds. The new development is set to occupy an ar- ea the size of nearly three football grounds, previously earmarked for a carnival village as approved in 2016 but never constructed. The new arts and culture hub set over five floors will include carnival float and costume workshops, 18 rock band studios, dance rehearsal studios, an indoor thea- tre with 380 seats, an outdoor theatre with 940 seats, a 5D cinema with 616 seats, a museum dedicated to the performance arts, an indoor cafeteria with outdoor spaces and administrative offices. Underground park- ing for 311 parking spaces will be provided. Festivals Malta seeks 24 warehouses for carnival floats tap water taste refer to regional variations in chlorine and chloride levels - to address this problem the gov- ernment has announced plans to increase the Ta' Qali water reservoir's capacity so that it serves as a central hub for the distribution of the tap water blend. Record water consumption In 2023, a record 36.8 million cubic metres of desalinated were produced by the WSC, up from 35.5 million cb.m in 2022. Meeting water demand is possible by blending water from two sources: groundwa- ter abstraction, and desalinat- ed water from RO plants. In 2023, 13.1 million cb.m – approximately 36% of po- table water production – was abstracted from groundwater; 64% was produced from the four seawater RO plants, three in Malta and the recently com- missioned plant in Gozo. The balance between RO and groundwater was the same as last year. However, compared to 2017, the percentage of groundwater in the mix has been reduced from 43% to 36%. The increase of RO water in the blend has contributed to a decrease in the salinity of tap water, because the higher the percentage of groundwater in the blend, the greater the need to treat it with chlorine to ensure it conforms to safety standards. While the overall percentage of groundwater in the blend re- mained the same, the amount of groundwater abstracted from the WSC's boreholes has increased to meet demand, from 12.7 million cb.m in 2022 to 13.1 million cb.m. To minimise the impact of abstratcion on the Mean Sea Level aquifer, which is becom- ing increasingly saltier due to higher abstraction and in- creased sea water penetration into the aquifer, the WSC has embarked on a strategy to di- versify groundwater sources by reactivating boreholes that were formerly abandoned due to collection network limita- tions. With an improved network to transfer water from pro- duction sources to reservoirs, the WSC has been reactivat- ing these abandoned sources while reducing abstraction from previously utilised sourc- es. This results in a better dis- tribution of groundwater ab- straction, relieving stress on overutilised sources. This spatial distribution pro- gramme kicked off in 2019, with 2023 witnessing the ad- dition of another six refur- bished sources that are now contributing to an overall im- provement in the quality of abstracted water. 14 sources have been reactivated to date, with further reactivations planned in 2024. MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt