The Energy and Water Agency and the Environmental Resources Authority as the competent authorities for the development of Malta’s 3rd River Basin Management Plan (RBMP), are currently carrying out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of this plan. The SEA is a critical tool used to evaluate the potential environmental effects of large plans or programs that are being implemented. It ensures that environmental considerations are integrated into the decision-making process, whilst aiming to avoid or minimise negative impacts on the environment. In this case, the SEA will assess how the RBMP will affect Malta’s water resources, ecosystems, and surrounding environment.
Malta has reached the “scoping” stage of the SEA process. This stage involves identifying the key environmental issues and topics to be assessed during the SEA. To carry out this stage, a Scoping Report has been prepared. This report is being released for public consultation, to ensure that both the general public and Designated Authorities (such as relevant governmental bodies and environmental entities) are given the opportunity to provide feedback, suggest improvements or raise concerns.
The public consultation for the draft Scoping Report for the 3rd RBMP was open from the 24th of September, until the 1st of October 2024, and has now been finalised, and can be found here.
The feedback received has been taken into consideration and will help to refine the scope of the next stage, the environmental assessment, to ensure that all the significant environmental aspects are properly addressed. Currently the Environmental Report is being prepared, which report shall provide a detailed analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the 3rd RBMP. It is planned that the Environmental Report shall be released for public consultation in the coming weeks.