Tests reveal traces of antibiotics in waste water

The traces of antibiotics found in waste water tallies with evidence in various medical studies on the high rate of use of antibiotics in Malta.

Overuse of antibiotics is a widely recognised global health issue, with serious long-term implications. Through sustained exposure to antibiotics, the ever-evolving bacteria build up resistance to these drugs which eventually lose their potency and efficacy in combating disease.

The seminar held in Dar l-Ewropa in Valletta last Saturday was organised by left-wing think tank Zminijietna.

The tests mentioned by Rizzo are being conducted in relation to a pilot project, currently underway in Bulebel, which looks into topping up water aquifers with highly treated sewage effluent.

The pilot project - which is led by MRA and forms part of the European MEDIWAT project - will conclude in 2013.

It involves the construction of a pilot treatment plant, which has already been developed, followed by tests on the freshly treated "highly polished" sewage effluent.

Once the effluent has passed a series of tests, it will be pumped into a nearby aquifer. Wells within a 600-metre radius of the aquifer will then be monitored for a 12-month period, bringing the pilot study to a close.

Treated sewage water is presently dumped in to the sea after being treated. But in order to re-use it to refill the aquifer - which is also used for our drinking supply - the water must reach a higher standard.

In view of the presence of antibiotics and chemicals in water disposed by households, Rizzo insisted on the need of greater education on what should be disposed in toilets.

He also spoke on the need for alternatives to dispose of things like thinner, which often end up disposed in the drainage system.

Rizzo also referred to the ongoing national campaign educating the public against the improper use of antibiotics, which should decrease the consumption of antibiotics.

Although the re-use of wastewater remains part of the MRA's strategy to alleviate Malta's water scarcity, Rizzo insisted that the main thrust of the policy should be on water efficiency by all stakeholders.

Referring to the home of Marco Cremona - which is completely self sustainable with regards to water use - Rizzo said that the public should be educated to reduce consumption.

He also referred to an inter-ministerial committee which is coordinating policy on rational water use across different sectors.

Call for a law on ground water

Speaking during the seminar, hydrologist Marco Cremona called for the enactment of a specific law aimed at safeguarding Malta's ground water resources. The law would also establish the public ownership of the aquifer as a national resource and establish responsibilities for its protection.

Studies show that Malta has a reserve of 1.5 billion cubic metres of underground water, which floats on seawater.

"If each cubic metre of water is given a value of €1, this means that the country is sitting on a 1.5 billion reserve," Cremona pointed out.

This supply of water is threatened both by over extraction from private boreholes which contribute to increasing salinity as well as from high nitrate levels.

During the same seminar, former biodiversity expert and former MEPA assistant director Alfred Baldacchino denounced the lack of governance in this sector.

"The Knights of St John left us an entire aqueduct and water storing system, and more importantly they had drawn up laws whereby all houses had to have their own wells."

He points out that technically, these laws are still in the statue books. "But are they being implemented?"

Farmer Peter Axisa expressed his doubts on the installation of meters on agricultural boreholes arguing that it is in the farmers' interest not be wasteful. He also disputed the allegation that farmers were extracting water for free, insisting that extracting water from boreholes is costly.