Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/955503
maltatoday SUNDAY 18 MARCH 2018 9 JAMES DEBONO THE new National Agricul- ture Policy issued for pub- lic consultation earlier this month has identified a para- dox of increased groundwater extraction despite a decrease in active farmers: an indica- tion that this water is being used for purposes unrelated to agriculture. The policy makes it clear that the extraction of ground- water by farmers is no longer "tenable" but falls short of any pricing mechanism pe- nalising groundwater extrac- tion. After describing the reliance on groundwater extraction as "not tenable" the policy rec- ommends that "agriculture should start shifting on more efficient groundwater use and the utilisation of alternative water sources". Curiously the policy docu- ment notes that the decrease in active farmers is not re- sulting in a decrease in the amount of water utilised for farming "A reason for this could be that water is being utilised for recreational farming and oth- er purposes that go beyond the production of food". The new policy document recommends that "moni- toring" on the quantities of groundwater extracted "in order to flag irregular pat- terns of water abstraction that can be compared with the farmer status and the ag- ricultural status of the land holding". An issue paper issued in preparation of the new policy in 2016 has spelled out that "government policy does not foresee the introduction of volumetric charges for groundwater abstracted from agricultural boreholes." But attempts to monitor groundwater extraction are still hindered by a lack of data. "A major limitation for de- cision-making in this delicate issue is the lack of data." This is "hampering the im- plementation of abstraction control mechanisms and measures to reduce water pollution." Moreover, the metering process on registered agri- cultural boreholes started in 2011 and is still "ongoing". In fact the only solid source of data on abstraction re- mains a sample from 460 me- tered boreholes carried out by the Water Services Corpo- ration in 2015. The policy refers to "a stag- gering 67,735 cubic metres which were being extracted from one borehole", reported in the WSC's survey. "This implies that ground- water extracted from this particular borehole exceeds the total amount abstracted from 231 boreholes extract- ing less than 1,000 cubic me- tres", the policy states. While acknowledging that the Maltese authorities "nev- er issued permits for ground- water abstraction and all drilling was done illegally", the policy does not recom- mend a way forward with regards to the legal status of groundwater extraction, not- ing that "there are as yet no formal abstraction rights in place and the only entity that can extract groundwater is the Water Services Corpora- tion". Moreover farmers "still per- ceive this resource as an ac- cess to an unlimited amount of water" and are only driven to save on water extraction "by necessity and resource degradation". However, water metering could make farmers more conscious that ground- water is not an infinite re- source New water still perceived as inferior Moreover, while recom- mending a shift from ground- water extraction to new wa- ter derived from treated sewage, the policy document acknowledges that "treated sewage water is still per- ceived to be of inferior qual- ity to borehole water." This perception "is still evident in the consumer dis- course at farmers' market and fresh vegetable retail points". The policy recommends an information campaign and demonstration projects aimed at reversing this nega- tive public perception. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt News A Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium quality control chief checks a wheel of Reggiano cheese, in Bibbiano, Italy. Across Europe, dozens of food products - from Greek feta cheese to Britain's Jersey Royal potatoes - have EU trademark protection Despite decrease in farmers, more groundwater extracted GHAJN Ċentru ta' Informazzjoni għall-Konservazzjoni tal-Ilma MINISTRY FOR ENERGY AND WATER MANAGEMENT MINISTRY FOR ENERGY AND WATER MANAGEMENT W O R L D W A TER D A Y OPEN WEEKEND 24 th and 25 th March 10:00 18:00 TILL GĦAJN Water Conservation Centre Nigret, Rabat, Malta EDUCATION | THEATRE | FUN FREE ENTRANCE While acknowledging that the Maltese authorities "never issued permits for groundwater abstraction and all drilling was done illegally", the policy does not recommend a way forward with regards to the legal status of groundwater extraction The policy refers to "a staggering 67,735 cubic metres which was being extracted from one borehole", reported in the WSC's survey