Gozo, together with Malta, are among the most water scarce places in Europe. Gozo faces a critical water scarcity challenge, threatening its water security. Coca-Cola and the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean are working with the Ministry for Gozo and ecoGozo to increase the island’s water availability, thus preserving the island’s way of life for future generations.

A new website, Gozo Water, has just been launched as a follow-up to the Alter Aqua project. It is an interactive website, with infographics, and also gives readers the opportunity to discover the story of 3 local farmers.

The Maltese Islands are also one of the ten driest in the world. Due to their small size and limited rainfall, fresh water resources are very limited, while demand is high to cover the dense population and diverse water uses. Lack of freshwater resources has led to overexploitation of groundwater from the island’s aquifers beyond sustainable levels.

Overuse has also lead to saltwater intrusion, salinising the freshwater in the aquifer. This has further restricted the amount of usable available water on the island.

Alter Aqua is a multi-stakeholder programme aiming to tackle these water scarcity issues by mobilising Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWR).

The Non Conventional Water Resources Programme in the Mediterranean was recently ranked in second place in the Water Showcase – World Final during the 7th World Water Forum held in South Korea. The World Water Forum is the largest water-related event in the world.

This programme reached Malta through the Alter Aqua project. The main scope of Alter Aqua was to mobilise Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) to increase water harvesting and availability in a sustainable, cost effective way and promote a new water culture, at both a local and a national level.

Through Alter Aqua, Gozo benefited from an $800,000 Grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation while the Ministry for Gozo, through the ecoGozo programme, invested a further $440,000 in addition to the aforementioned grant.

Four innovative rainwater harvesting systems (reservoirs) were installed in Gozitan schools (Kercem, Sannat, Zebbug and Gharb)

Six rainwater harvesting systems (reservoirs) in Gozitan schools and educational places were restored (Sannat, Xaghra, San Lawrenz and Government Experimental Farm).

One greywater reuse system was installed at the Gozo Football Stadium and one storm water management application was implemented in Ramla Valley.

Photo: Ramla Valley

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