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Water bills ‘to skyrocket’ when EU forces WSC to pay for groundwater
The resources ministry has confirmed it was “examining a formula” to bill the Water Services’ Corporation (WSC) for the water it extracted from boreholes – 42% of its present supply of drinking water.
19 September 2010, 12:00am
James Debono
James Debono
1 min read
MaltaToday reports “that the European Commission will tell Malta that the WSC must be billed for extracting groundwater, in the same that private individuals must pay the government for the underground water”
This was because by 2015, Malta must apply the Water Framework Directive which required EU member states to take into account of the “environmental and resource costs” of groundwater extraction.
Hydrologist Marco Cremona has told this newspaper the law could result in the “doubling of the current price of tap water”.
But George Pullicino’s resources and rural affairs ministry is claiming that the additional bill “is expected to be offset against any costs incurred by the WSC to polish treated sewage effluent and the recharge of the aquifers,” and cushion any impact on the price of water.
Labour MEP Edward Scicluna, on the other hand, has called on the European Commission to ensure Malta complied with the directive “to avoid imminent water shortage”.
But he disagrees with billing the WSC for the extraction from boreholes. “The WSC represents government in the lawful extraction, supply and distribution of water, so it should charge and not be charged itself for this activity,” Scicluna told MaltaToday.
More of this two-page feature in MaltaToday on Sunday
James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...
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This shows how we have become a Brussels colony. This is OUR water not the EU's water, so why should we pay gold for what is OUR'S? Let's get the hell out of the EU.
Albert Zammit •
Good! I like this! Let the Maltese people suffer and be aware that water is not something infinite and that it has to be paid for. Yes. Why shouldn't we pay for it? Let there be a stop to people wasting water. Let there be a stop to people using the hosepipe to clean two cars, in my own street!
