Soaring demand for new water by farmers

The number of farmers making use of the new water has increased from 170 in April to 269

Farmers outside the Mellieha and Mgarr area are increasingly frustrated at not having access to ‘new water’
Farmers outside the Mellieha and Mgarr area are increasingly frustrated at not having access to ‘new water’

Farmers outside the Mellieha and Mgarr area are increasingly frustrated at not having access to ‘new water’ provided by the Water Services Corporation as an alternative to groundwater.

The number of farmers making use of the new water – which is made of treated sewage that is used to irrigate crops – has increased from 170 in April to 269. A total of 250,000m3 of water has been distributed in the past year.

Until now, the WSC is distributing new water from the Cumnija plant in Mellieha, which supplies the Mellieha and Mgarr areas. According to the latest statistics, the consumption is split between Mgarr at 44% and Mellieha at 56%.

Malcolm Borg, the head of the Centre for Agriculture at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Tehcnology, said new water was a lifeline to farmers. “Farmers’ borehole water quality has been declining and this ‘new water’ is a lifesaver,” Borg said, describing feedback from farmers as very positive.

“The quality of this water is exceptional and farmers who do not have the network of this water close to their fields are very annoyed that this water is not being made available to them.”

Borehole water is extracted from underground aquifers that store water that is filtered of its impurities after seeping in through the rocks from the sea. But when ‘over-extracted’, the underground storage chambers can give way to increased salinity and nitrates inside the water.

New water is the result of investment made in the Cumnija sewage treatment plant through which water can be reused in agriculture instead of being dumped in the sea. The use of treated sewage reduces the dependency of farmers on groundwater reserves, which tend to be extracted without payment.

MaltaToday was also contacted by farmers who lamented the lack of availability of this water in agricultural areas like St Paul’s Bay.

The WSC is currently working on major infrastructural projects to be able to expand the supply of new water. “Farmers are delighted with the quality of the product and this is not only resulting in improved security in terms of supply, but also in improved product yield,” a WSC spokesperson told MaltaToday.