Rain in Malta is not an everyday sight, which is partly why the country is so popular with tourists. That said, it is also why freshwater resources have been a challenge throughout the archipelago’s history.

Not only does Malta have a semi-arid Mediterranean climate, but it also has a high (and growing) population density, and the small size of its islands makes it challenging to develop economically viable surface water resources. As a result, Malta’s natural water supplies are not sufficient, even if used sustainably.

To address these challenges, Malta is following the EU’s Water Framework Directive, which commits all EU member states to achieving a good quantity and quality of water. For Malta, the Water Framework Directive focuses on broadening our national water supply by using non-conventional water resources, which include:

• Desalination of seawater,
• Reuse of treated wastewaters, and
• Harvesting of rainwater runoff in urban and rural areas.

The Framework also recognises the important role of water demand management, as increasing water use efficiency reduces the need to produce additional water resources.

The Water Unit at the Energy and Water Agency works to ensure that all avenues are considered (social, economic and technological) to address Malta’s water management challenges. We steer, promote and highlight Malta’s approach to adopting and adapting existing practices to address the present and future challenges in the water sector.

Climate change is a growing crisis across the EU and the world, and it is therefore an environmental factor that Malta needs to increasingly consider. When looking at the national water sector, rising temperatures, low annual precipitation and an increase in high-intensity rainfall events in Malta are all huge factors to think about. In this context, the Water Framework Directive aims to augment supply while reducing demand, thereby approaching these climate challenges as opportunities to further develop the resilience of Malta’s water sector in the face of more extreme environments.

The Energy and Water Agency’s mission to develop sustainable water solutions is supported through the implementation of a variety of EU and nationally funded initiatives, which aim to increase the country’s water supply while educating the Maltese population about our water challenges.