Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/674824
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 MAY 2016 News MALTA 14.5x18cm ING.pdf 1 19/04/16 16:45 One borehole sucks up the equivalent of 34 million bottles a year JAMES DEBONO ONE agricultural borehole has extracted 67,735m3 of water in 2015, the equivalent of nearly 34 million two-litre bottles of min- eral water in a single year. Another source extracted 34,000 cubic metres and three other sources between 18,000 cubic metres and 22,000 cubic metres. This emerged from a sample of 460 agricultural boreholes taken by the Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit in 2015. On average 2,193 cubic metres of water were extracted by the agricultural boreholes included in the sample. The study confirms that it pays to extract large amounts of ground water. The cost of ex- tracting 2,200 cubic metres of water is estimated to be €880 a year (40 cents per cubic metre). On the other hand the cost of extracting 200 cubic metres would be €678 (€3.39 per cubic metre). The cost includes energy consumption, the capital invest- ment and maintenance costs. The study shows that most wa- ter is extracted in May, July and August. Currently ground water ac- counts for 86% of the water consumed by the agricultural sector. Only 9% comes from rainwater while 5% consists of treated water. The situation is described as "unsustainable" by Manuel Sa- piano and has to be addressed through a more efficient use of water and the use of new sources like treated sewage whose water is still disposed in the sea. The installation of purifica- tion plants in Malta's three sewage treatment plant would result in seven million cubic metres of water which would be made available to agriculture. Sapiano describes this water as " better than ground water" as it has lower levels of salinity and is more chemically balanced. By 2021 it is projected that 31% of agricultural needs will be derived from treatment plants, 59% will come from ground wa- ter and 10% from rain. New Paola tidal lane system launched TRANSPORT Malta has intro- duced a tidal lane system in Sir Paul Boffa Avenue in Paola, and the system was tested at 9pm yes- terday. The tidal lane is a system that changes the direction of traffic in one lane to maximise the capacity of the road, and it has never been implemented in Malta so far. Sir Paul Boffa Avenue is a four- lane road, and as such it is usually split into two carriageways, two lanes northbound and two south- bound. However, with the tidal lane, one lane allows traffic from one direction during the morning and from the other throughout the evening. Retractable bollards will also be introduced to control the direc- tion of the lane from both sides, as well as a set of bollards lowered and another raised guiding vehi- cles to access the lane from one direction or the other. Transport Malta added that it has implemented a number of measures to make the transition safe including fixed bollards used to delineate the transitional lane so that vehicles cannot veer off in the wrong direction. Traffic lights have also been installed to stop cars from accidentally go- ing over the rising bollards. The bollards will only be raised after officials visually ascertain that no cars are approaching. Transport Malta added that it would change the lane direction at 9pm to have three lanes going towards Valletta during the fol- lowing morning. It added that the lane direction would change again at 2pm to have two lanes towards Valletta and two towards Paola when most people return home from work. Transport Mal- ta adds that the tidal lane aims to maximise the efficiency of the road within the existing capacity and it asks drivers to follow signs and drive with caution especially during these first days of a new system for Malta. In a statement issued yesterday, the Malta Road Safety Council asked for driver's caution when driving through the new tidal lane. Welcoming the introduction of the system, the council warned that it is "imperative that drivers follow the signs, follow rules and drive with caution." A TM video shows how traffic will be allowed from one direction in the morning and from the other in the evening The study showed that 86% of water used in agriculture is pumped from the ground