Water Services Corporation reduces leaks

James Debono

Over the past year the Water Services Corporation has considerably reduced the amounts of water lost to leaks. Although a substantial 573 cubic metres per hour were lost, leaks were reduced by 224 cubic metres per hour.
The North region, which started the year with a leakage figure of 290 cubic metres per hour was reduced to 213 cubic metres per hour after extensive works were carried out by the corporation. In the Central region leaks were reduced from 256 cubic metres per hour to 170 cubic metres per hour. In the Southern region leaks were reduced from 251 cubic metres per hour to 190 cubic metres per hour.
The reduction in leaks allowed the corporation to reduce the amount of ground water extracted.
Drinking water in Malta remains safe for the consumer to drink. The corporation’s laboratory continued monitoring portable water. Samples taken to measure water quality against chemical parameters in EU directives do not show any cause of alarm. But in one sample taken in Qormi in 2005, the nitrate level exceeded the amount allowed by the European Union. Nitrate levels within Qormi are now back to normal limits.
Chloride levels exceed EU parameters in 98% of the samples. EU standards limiting the amounts of chloride are not health related but set to avoid corrosion and improve taste.
Excessive iron was also found in 8% of sample. Iron has no effect on health but can result in stains and discolouring. A major programme is underway to replace old iron mains contributing to this problem.
Excessive levels of sodium were found in 12 out of 31 samples. The presence of sodium is not harmful to health but affects the taste of the water in question.
During the past year the production of reverse osmosis plants increased by 2.7% over previous year. In total 103 million units of electricity were consumed to produce 17.4 million metres cube.