When talking of such matters
one may well ask: what are we doing to minimise the damage? Various studies
commissioned by Mepa show gaps in our understanding of some key ecological
processes, which, if left unchecked, will directly affect our habitat. As can
be expected, its impact will reflect on the vulnerability of our ecological
system as an island so dependent on tourism. To start with, there will be
heightened risks associated with the transmission of infectious diseases borne
by migrant birds, which themselves are negatively affected by climatic factors.
Infective agents and their vector organisms are sensitive to factors such as
temperature, surface water, humidity, wind and soil moisture, which are
variables mentioned in various empirical studies. It is therefore projected
that climate change and resultant variations in weather patterns may
potentially affect the diseases borne by migrant bird life and if this is
severe and reaches acute levels it may start a pandemic. It goes without saying
that this would scare travellers away but it could also have a damaging effect
on our poultry industry. Global warming, which has raised the temperature in
the Canadian Arctic by 4°C in the past 50 years, means the natural habitat of
arctic animals such as bears is inexorably disappearing. Reports state the
example of Hudson Bay, where the ice melts completely in summer; scientists
have noted that due to global warming it is now happening three weeks earlier
than normal. On our side of the pond, scientific reports says that warming
during the last 100 years was 0.74 C, with most of the warming occurring during
the past 50 years. The warming for the next 20 years is projected to be 0.2°C
per decade. Even more ominous is the forecast of a rise in temperature of about
3°C, which scientists predict will occur at the end of the century. All these
facts give ample proof that human activity is responsible for this warming and
that it is likely to be irreversible for centuries, even if greenhouse gas
emissions are stabilised.
There are a number of heavy
polluting countries principally India, China and United States. China has more
than 2,000 coal-fired power plants pouring carbon emissions into the
atmosphere. These spew toxic fumes float high in the air and around the globe on
what has become a transcontinental conveyor belt of toxic air. Although North
America and Europe add their own dirty loads to the belt, experts single out
Asia, pulsating with the economic rebirth of China and India, as the largest
contributor. Daniel J. Jacob, a Harvard professor of atmospheric chemistry and
one of the chief researchers in a recent multinational study of
transcontinental air pollution, said “we’re all breathing each other’s air”.
Closer to home, we never
realise the irreversible damage to air quality when we allow emissions from
power stations, heavy transport vehicles and the hospital incinerator go by
unchecked in a densely populated island. One reason our old Marsa power station
industry is licensed to spew out so much pollution is because it will soon be
dismantled. Politicians have assured us that the Delimara plant will soon be
expanded to run on heavy fuel oil. Yet our politicians must have got their sums
wrong as the dismantling of Marsa power station and the upgrading of the Delimara
to eventually operate on clean gas has taken more than 20 years and is yet to
materialise. How much longer can we tolerate such an attitude when the European
Commission is penalising Enemalta for its infringements? The positive aspect is
that the EU decided that member states had to cut annual greenhouse gas
emissions by 30 per cent between 2008 and 2012. Party apologists say it is not
the government’s fault that the planned reduction has not been achieved but
perhaps the fault of its technical advisers. A fully manned Directorate at the
Malta Resources Authority (MRA) complete with a full time chairman and all the
attendant perks was established. Yet no one seems very concerned about the cost
involved to fight the increased incidence of asthma and bronchitis caused as a
result of our polluted environment, particularly our air quality. MRA is
powerless to take firm action on the closure of the old Marsa power station,
which for the past years has generated essential electricity albeit in a
densely populated area.
Another aspect of climate
change is the heavy use of fertilizers, sulphides and insecticides in farming
which collectively cause irreparable damage to the water table. In spite of
this danger, we are assured that daily tests on water samples are carried out
to monitor the situation. The authorities inform us that more than 5,000
samples were collected in 2006, which generated approximately 54,516 tests, of
which around 38,286 were physical and chemical tests and 16,230 bacteriological
tests. Official tests showed that there were no instances of contamination or
non-conformity, removing the fear of high nitrate concentrations in the
groundwater. This may be a sign that more ground water is being extracted and
less use made of reverse osmosis filtration from the sea. This is commendable,
but while we need to be diligent in our testing programmes we cannot rest on
our laurels based on the quality of drinking water only.
The good news this week is that
discussions are underway with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and
Water Services Corporation, which has applied for EU funds to cover the expense
of installing new equipment, estimated at about €12 million, to continue
filtering treated sewage for use in agriculture and industry. At present, there
are three new sewage treatment plants, which make Malta the first country in
the Mediterranean and the seventh in the EU to treat all its sewage. After
experiments carried out over the past three years by corporation engineers were
successfully completed, a final design was approved and an application
submitted to Mepa to upgrade the three plants. The plants today treat sewage to
a level good enough to be discharged at sea under the EU Wastewater Directive
but do not polish it enough to make it usable as second class water for general
use in agriculture and for industry. It goes without saying that treated sewage
affluent, when polished to specific standards, will potentially reduce pressure
on our heavily-exploited aquifers with the subsequent beneficial
de-nitrification of the water it produces. It would be a pity if we don’t plan
ahead to store such a rich resource and just pump it straight back into the sea
because of lack of adequate storage or filtering equipment. As a temporary
measure, in the absence of reservoirs, we could embellish the valleys by
creating artificial lakes. This would create its own problems since some of our
valleys have illegal buildings that preclude their use as temporary lakes. For
the romantic at heart, one can try to visualise Wied Babu or the picturesque
Nadur valley brimming with recycled water in the searing summer heat. Our small
islands, devoid of natural water supply from hills or mountains are sometimes
compared to an arid dessert and yet it is home to over 500,000 (including
temporary visitors). The treatment and re-use of sewage on existing plants,
which so far has cost over €100 million, is a dream come true and perhaps in
the near future we can exploit this resource by creating a sizeable man-made
lake with gondolas rides and other water sports. Such lakes will permit water
to slowly filter into the water table thereby replenish its currently deleted
state. This could be one solution to the drought that is expected to haunt us
as a result of global warming.
Scientific evidence predicts a
20 per cent reduction in rainfall by the end of the century. So can we continue
to waste water by dumping in the sea when it can be a solution to re-establish
equilibrium in our eco system? It certainly does not come cheap but then, Mepa,
which is sitting on a cash mountain running into millions (collected from
parking schemes over the past 20 years), may be wise to take collective
responsibility and itself instigate the necessary work to subsidise and
redistribute recycled water. As stated earlier, the Water Services Corporation
has filed planning applications to upgrade its three sewage treatment plants
and enable them to reclaim water for irrigation and industrial use thus
utilizing 22 million cubic metres of treated sewage per year. WSC chief
executive Marc Muscat said such new equipment would further treat an estimated
nine million cubic metres to produce water suitable for industrial and
agricultural use, including batching plants (concrete mixing etc).
To conclude, we must use every
means to help Mother Nature reclaim her lost equilibrium and in the process
reap rich dividends in the quality of our living standards in these islands
once characterized in ancient Greek legends as the isle of milk and honey.
The writer is a partner in PKF
an audit and business advisory firm.
gmm@pkfmalta.com
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