This is a Thematic Consultation in the framework of the National Water Management Plan for the Maltese Islands, organised by the Ministry for Energy and Health, the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean, The Coca-Cola Foundation and General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd, in the context of the Alter Aqua – Non Conventional Water Resources Programme in Malta.
Given the limited freshwater resources of the Maltese islands, further depleted as a result of climate change and environmental degradation, water scarcity and heavy dependence on desalination are key issues for Malta. In this context, the mobilisation of NCWR use is crucial, since it can provide sustainable solutions where projected levels of water savings prove hard to achieve and can substantially assist in bridging the gap between supply and demand. However, Malta is far from fully leveraging the NCWR potential: an integrated approach for water resources management, based on good governance, inter-sectorial coordination, water demand management and the sustainable use of NCWR is absolutely vital for the country.
In this context, the Ministry for Energy and Health is currently developing a National Water Management Plan, which aims to establish an integrated water management framework for the Maltese islands. In as much, this plan considers the development of NCWR as an important tool for the achievement of the wider objectives of the National Water Management Plan.
The objectives of the National Consultation on NCWR are:
- To provide a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue on priorities and needed synergies for advancing NCWR management, in the framework of the development of the National Water Management Plan in the Maltese Islands.
- To share best practices and lessons learned from NCWR Management in the Mediterranean region.
- To share best practices and lessons learned from local applications in the Maltese Islands
- To provide input on related measures that need to be taken in order to advance the use of NCWR, as part of the National Water Management Plan.
- To formulate the vision for water security through the mobilisation of NCWR.
The Consultation is organized by Alter Aqua, a programme aimed at advancing the utilisation of NCWR in the Maltese islands, such as rainwater harvesting, storm water management, grey water and treated wastewater reuse, as a sustainable way to increase water availability and climate change adaptation in a sustainable, cost-effective way, and promoting a new water culture at both local and national level. It is implemented by the Global Water Partnership -Mediterranean (GWP-Med) in partnership with the Ministry for Energy and Health, the Ministry for Gozo and the Eco-Gozo project, the Coca-Cola Foundation and General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd.
A targeted stakeholder engagement has taken place, and up to 120 local and regional stakeholder, as well as citizens, are expected to participate in the National Consultation. More details on the agenda are to be found here.