During house visits, I met with many farmers and the most common comment was "It's been long since it last rained". Indeed. Siġġiewi farmers have been badly effected with climate change - last October was the driest October since 1922. Until countries much larger than Malta decide to wake up and smell the coffee, for now, we have to solve the symptom even to help Siġġiewi farmers cope with this extraordinary drought.
One project that could help in this regard is the project called New Water - a sustainable project that can be described as a win-win-win situation. This project entails filtering of sewage water so the water becomes second-class water suitable for irrigation. This contrasts with what used to happen before when sewage water was thrown in the sea effecting marine life and our wellbeing. This project was financed by a €62 million investment by the EU.
A very sustainable project but its implementation leaves much to be desired. In its design, this project should cover the western region of Malta which is a very rural region. It is incredible how a project that is aimed for farmland did not take into consideration one of the most rural towns in Malta: Siġġiewi. As seen in the map below, Siġġiewi farmers have been totally excluded with the nearest water dispenser being in Imġarr. Even the latest plans of network enlargement show that the nearest water dispenser would be Żurrieq. Is this how we are combatting this record drought?! I feel that we do not take care enough of those who bring the most genuine and fresh products to our tables.
To make it all worse, there is an allegation that this water that is so needed given the present weather, is being thrown in the sea! Funds from our European colleagues, literally thrown in the sea! Therefore on behalf of Siġġiewi farmers, I thank the PN candidate for the MEP elections Dr. Peter Agius who has been discussing this subject for so long and is leading the fight against this waste of perfectly good water by going to the Auditor General requesting investigation into the case.
This project can be one solution in a reality where we are witnessing the desertification of Malta and unfortunately the desertification of ideas. I appeal to the authorities to firstly, if the allegations are true, the waste of water is stopped and water is rightly distributed to farmers, and secondly, to include Siġġiewi as part of the network of the New Water project. If the latter is not possible or viable, we can operate on a system of incentives to those farmers that do not have fields near a water dispenser. The solutions are there, we have to have the will to deliver.
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