FRESH/SEA
MALTA
WATER QUALITY AND WASTEWATER SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS FOR
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1
WHAT ARE SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS?
Indicators are presentations of measurements. They are bits of information that summarize the
characteristics of systems or highlight what is happening in a system. Indicators simplify
complex phenomena, and make it possible to gauge the general status of a system.
There is already a package of internationally accepted key economic indicators that are
widely understood, and used to monitor how the economy is performing. These include gross
domestic product, the rate of inflation, the level of interest rates and balance of payments.
Governments use them in making economic policy decisions. They are also widely reported
in the media and are recognized by the public.
Sustainability indicators should be used in the same way, helping to inform policy decisions
and helping people understand what sustainable development means. Indicators of
sustainability translate the concept of sustainable development into numerical terms,
descriptive measures, and action-oriented signs and signals.
Measures and indicators of sustainability are set apart from economic indicators by the way
they combine social, economic and environmental trends. They also help educate the public,
inspire people to take individual action and press for change in sustainable directions.
From those developed for rural communities to those for the United Nations, hundreds of
sustainability indicator sets have been created. The growing ranks of indicator projects and
professionals worldwide face two challenges that seemingly contradict each other:


Growing complexity. As our understanding of the complexity of sustainability grows,
how do we manage the mountains of data required to monitor it?
The demand for simplicity. Since public education and resulting political action are
seen increasingly and urgently as the purpose for creating indicators, how do we
present them in ways that are simple, elegant and effective, without compromising the
underlying complexity?
A good indicator should satisfy a number of criteria. It should be:





scientifically sound and technically robust;
easily understood;
sensitive to the change it is intended to represent;
measurable; and
capable of being updated regularly.
Ideally indicators should also be able to be used to report on progress, which means
information must be available and can be readily collected.
The range of sustainable development issues that need to be reflected in the set of indicators is
very wide, and that leads to a dilemma. How can we reflect all the issues satisfactorily in a
limited number of measures so that people can see the overall picture?
Many concerned with sustainable development voice their desire for a single indicator to
compete with the enormous political power of the Gross Domestic Product. But many are
skeptical that a single number could assess something as complex as sustainable development.
Most indicator experts believe that searching for a single indicator of sustainable development
is something like the quest for the unicorn. It is a myth to think that one number—even one
that vastly improved on the GDP as a proxy for overall national well-being—could have any
real functional value as a policy tool. But many also acknowledge that the attempt to create an
index of sustainable development may be useful because it would force a concerted effort to
present the complexity of sustainable development more simply. Even a modestly successful
effort by presenting a handful of aggregated indices could introduce a generation of policy
and decision-makers to the goals of sustainable development.
1.2
WHY
ARE FRESH AND SEAWATER QUALITY AND WASTEWATER IMPORTANT
AREAS OF CONCERN?
Water quality is of economic, environmental and social importance. Water quality can be
defined in terms of a water body’s suitability for various uses such as water supply source,
swimming and protection of aquatic life. It is affected by water abstractions, by pollution
loads from human activities and by climate and weather. If pressure from human activities
becomes so intense that water quality is impaired to the point that drinking water requires
ever more advanced and costly treatment or that aquatic plant and animal species in rivers,
lakes and seas are greatly reduced, then the sustainability of the water resource use is in
question.
The marine environment is an important resource not only in terms of the biodiversity it
supports but also as a resource for tourism, industry, freshwater production and recreation.
Sea-based activities (yachting, water sports, diving, fishing and fishfarming) impact the
marine environment, although land based developments and activities, (such as ship repairing,
sewage disposal, desalination plants, landfills, industry, tourism infrastructure and power
stations) also generate significant impact on the sea.
Marine resources need to be used in ways that don't damage the marine environment,
otherwise ecosystems and habitats can be lost and marine biodiversity can be diminished. The
main cause of biodiversity loss in the marine environment is human activity: increased coastal
and urban development, growing demand for food resources and commercial product, and
increased pollution. The quality of the marine environment not only has an economic impact
because of the economic activities it supports but also a social and environmental impact
because it contributes to the quality of people’s lives.
Marine environmental performance indicators should therefore be designed to measure and
monitor human activities and their effects on the marine environment.
Fresh water is a natural resource that is used to support human, plant and animal life. Pressure
on the quantity and quality of water resources is caused by activities in the agriculture,
industry and household sectors1. There are two main threats to ground and surface water
resources: pollution and overexploitation. These lead to a loss of habitats and biodiversity,
threats to human health and limits to economic and social development. Consequently the key
sustainable development objectives in this regard are to sustain and improve water quality and
the aquatic environment.
1
Bosch, P. (2000) Questions to be answered by a state-of-the-environment report. European
Environment Agency, Copenhagen.
2.0 FRESH AND SEAWATER QUALITY AND WASTE WATER INDICATORS
During the 1970s and 1980s principles of sustainable development started being development.
In 1987 the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development released
its report entitled ‘Our Common Future’ (commonly known as the Brundtland Report) where
sustainable development was defined as ‘development which meets the needs of the present
without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. Since then
many countries and institutions have worked to create a number of indicators to measure this
sustainable development.
Canada, Norway, the UK and the Netherlands have all developed and are continuing to
develop indicator sets on issues concerning the environment. International organizations such
as the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), the European Union (EU), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the World
Bank all developed indicators for sustainable development. The OECD, for example,
published its first preliminary set of indicators in 1991 and to date developed 130 indicators
covering a wide range of issues from climate change to population growth and government
consumption.
The OECD pioneered the use of the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model, which classifies
environmental indicators according to their casual relationship with environmental issues. The
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development also used this model to develop its
indicators. Blue Plan/Mediterranean Action Plan indicators are also based on this model.
2.1 METHODOLOGIES USED TO COMPUTE INDICATORS
2.1.1
The Pressure-State-Response (PSR) Model
The PSR Model considers that human activities exert pressures on the environment and affect
its quality and the quantity of natural resources (“state”); society responds to these changes
through environmental, general economic and sectoral policies and through changes in
awareness and behaviour (“societal response”). The PSR has the advantage of highlighting
these links, and helping decision makers and the public see environmental and other issues as
interconnected.
The PSR model provides a classification into indicators of environmental pressures,
indicators of environmental conditions (state) and indicators of societal responses.
Indicators of environmental pressures describe pressures from human activities exerted on
the environment, including natural resources. “Pressures” here cover underlying or indirect
pressures (i.e. the activity itself and trends of environmental significance) as well as direct
pressures (i.e. the use of resources and the discharge of pollutants and waste materials).
Indicators of environmental pressures are closely related to production and consumption
patterns; they often reflect emission or resource use intensities, along with related trends and
changes over a given period.
Indicators of environmental conditions relate to the quality of the environment and the
quality and quantity of natural resources. Indicators of environmental conditions are designed
to give an overview of the state of the environment and its development over time. Some
examples of these indicators are: concentrations of pollutants in environmental media;
exceedance of critical loads; the status of wildlife. In practice measuring the state of the
environment is difficult or very costly, therefore environmental pressures are measured
instead.
Indicators of societal responses show the extent to which society responds to environmental
concerns. They refer to individual and collective and actions and reactions to mitigate or
reduce environmental damage; stop or reverse environmental damage that has already
occurred; and preserve and conserve natural resources. Some examples of these indicators
are: environment expenditure, environment-related taxes, pollution abatement rates and price
structures.
Pressure
State
Response
Information
Indirect
pressures
State of the
environment & natural
resources
Direct Pressures
Human
activities





Pollutant & waste generation
energy
transport
industry
agriculture
others
Resource use
Conditions & trends:

Air, water

Land & soil

Wildlife
 Natural resources
decisions/actions
Figure 1:
The Pressure-Sate-Response model
Economic &
environmental
agents
Information
 administrations
 households
 enterprises
decisions
actions
 national
 international
2.1.2
The Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) Model
The Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model is an extension of the
PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model, developed by Anthony Friend in the 1970s, and
subsequently adopted by the OECD’s State of the Environment group. “After long debate
among scientists and indicator experts, the DPSIR model has been adopted as the most
appropriate structure environmental information by most Member States of the European
Union and by international organizations dealing with environmental information, such as
Eurostat, the European Environment Agency…2”.
Within the DPSIR model, Eurostat focused on Response, Driving forces and Pressure. Ten
policy fields were selected: Air pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity, marine
environment & coastal zones, ozone layer depletion, resource depletion, dispersion of toxic
substances, urban environmental problems waste, water pollution and water resources. A
panel of 2300 European environment experts (known as Scientific Advisory Groups, SAGs)
was consulted. On the basis of the advice from the SAG surveys and after consultation with
statisticians and indicator experts a set of 100 quantitative indicators covering these issues
was defined.
2
Eurostat (1999) Towards Environmental Pressure Indicators for the EU. European Communities,
2000, Luxembourg
Figure 2: The Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response model
The “Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response model” defines five indicator
categories:
D Driving forces are underlying factors influencing a variety of relevant variables.
Examples: the number of cars per inhabitant; total industrial production; GDP.
P Pressure indicators describe the variables which directly cause environmental problems.
Examples: toxic emissions, CO2 emissions, noise etc. caused by road traffic, etc.
S State indicators show the current condition of the environment.
Examples: the concentration of lead in urban areas; the noise levels near main roads.
I Impact indicators describe the ultimate effects of changes of state.
Examples: the percentage of children suffering from lead-induced health problems; the
number of people starving due to climate-change induced crop losses.
R Response indicators demonstrate the efforts of society (i.e. politicians, decision-makers) to
solve the problems. Examples: the percentage of cars with catalytic converters; maximum
allowed noise levels for cars; the price level of gasoline; the revenue coming from pollution
levies; the budget spent for solar energy research.
Sustainability indicators are generally categorized into four groups: economic indicators,
social indicators, institutional indicators and environmental indicators. Freshwater, seawater
quality and wastewater indicators fall in the latter category.
2.2 DIFFERENT SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
Although several sustainability indicators have been developed by different institutions and
countries this paper will discuss the water quality indicators as identified by the following:
A) EU
B) MAP/Blue Plan
C) OECD
D) UN
For ease of reference the indicators have been separated as follows:
A) Freshwater quality indicators;
B) Seawater quality indicators; and
C) Wastewater indicators.
Table 1 below lists these indicators as identified by the four organizations listed above. The
letters in brackets indicate whether the particular indicator is a pressure indicator (P), a state
indicator (S) or a response indicator (R).
Fresh Water Indicators
Sea Water Indicators
Wastewater Indicators
EU
Nutrient (N+P) use (eutrophication
equivalents) (S)
Groundwater abstraction (P)
Pesticides used per hectare of utilized
agriculture area (P)
Nitrogen quantity used per hectare of
utlised agriculture area (P)
Emissions of organic matter as BOD
(P)
Water treated/water collected
(R)
MAP/
Blue Plan
Access to safe drinking water (R)
Eutrophication
(S)
Fishing pressure (P)
Development along shore
(P)
Discharges of heavy metals
(S)
Oil pollution at coast and at
sea (S)
Discharges of halogenated
organic compounds (S)
Global quality of coastal
waters (S)
3
Exploitation index
resources (S)
3
of
renewable
Density of the solid waste
disposed in the sea (S)
Non-sustainable water production
index (S)
Share of distributed water not
conform to quality standards (S)
Water global quality index (S)
Existence of economic tools to
recover the water cost in various
sectors (R)
Drinking water use efficiency (R)
Coastal waters quality in
some main “hot spots” (S)
Wastewater treatment rate
before sea release for coastal
agglomerations over 100 000
inhabitants (R)
Share of collected and treated
wastewater by the public
sewerage system (R)
Share of industrial waste water
treated on site (R)
Eurostat (1999) Towards Environmental Pressure Indicators for the EU. European Communities,
2000, Luxembourg
OECD4
River water quality in terms of
dissolved oxygen and nitrate
concentration. (S)
Intensity of use of freshwater
resources (freshwater abstractions)
(P)
Public water supply and price –
abstractions for public supply per
capita and water prices
(R)
Annual withdrawals of ground and
surface water (P)
Domestic consumption of water per
capita (P)
Groundwater reserves (S)
UN5
Concentration of faecal coliforms in
freshwater (S)
Biochemical oxygen demand in
water bodies (S)
Density of hydrological networks (R)
Table 1:
Sewerage
and
sewage
treatment connection rates (R)
Population growth in coastal
areas (P)
Discharges of oil into
coastal waters (P)
Releases of nitrogen and
phosphorous to coastal
waters (P)
(Maximum sustained yield
for fisheries6) (S)
Algae index (S)
Wastewater
coverage (R)
List of Sustainability Indicators for fresh/sea water quality and
wastewater for various organisations
This table shows that some of the indicators developed by different institutions are quite
similar even though they are labeled differently. For example the EU’s groundwater
abstraction index is similar to the OECD’s intensity of use of freshwater resources and the
UN’s annual withdrawals of ground water and surface water. Although there are 21 indicators
for freshwater quality, 16 indicators for seawater quality and 6 indicators for wastewater, in
reality these are much less.
3.0
INDICATORS FOR MALTA
The selection of indicators for Malta depends on a number of factors. Most of the indicators
listed in Table 1 above can be applied to Malta except in certain cases, for example when they
refer to river water quality. The number of desired indicators is another factor that should be
considered. It would be far too costly and unrealistic to have some 21 indicators for
freshwater quality, 16 indicators for seawater quality and 6 indicators for wastewater
treatment. Consequently a selection exercise was carried out.
It is the aim of this paper to try and select the most relevant indicators for Malta. Criteria that
are commonly used for selection of indicators are: scientific validity; clarity; data availability;
cost effectiveness; comparability and public sensitivity7. The indicators listed in Table 1 have
already undergone rigorous analysis to ensure the indicators are easily comparable, clear and
4
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (1998) Towards Sustainable Development
– Environmental Indicators. OECD, Paris.
5
United Nations (1996) Indicators of Sustainable Development Framework and Methodologies .
United Nations, New York.
6
This indicator may not be directly relevant to seawater quality however it was placed in the section
entitled, ‘Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas and coastal areas’ in Indicators of Sustainable
Development Framework and Methodologies (1996), United Nations, New York.
7
Planning Authority (1997) Sustainability Indicators for Malta - a proposal. Planning Authority,
Floriana.
treatment
scientifically valid. Two important criteria to consider when selecting indicators for Malta
are: cost effectiveness and data availability. In Malta problems arise because data does not
exist, it is outdated, unreliable and because some players are unwilling to give information8.
The cost of computing some indicators may be significant and this must be taken into account
when proposing a set of indicators that must be realistic.
The first step in selecting the appropriate indictors for Malta was to remove, from Table 1,
those indicators that are not relevant or cannot be applied to the Maltese Islands. The next
step was to eliminate those overlapping indicators. When two or more indicators measured the
same thing, preference was given to the Eurostat indicator. With Malta’s bid to join the
European Union and its commitment to provide information to the Commission, it makes
sense to use the framework adopted by Eurostat since in the future this information might be
required. The indicators that were removed from Table 1 included:
1. ‘Pesticides used per hectare of utilized agriculture area’ and ‘Nitrogen quantity used per
hectare of utlised agriculture area’ because of the size of agriculture holdings in Malta is
generally quite small. Agricultural holdings are fragmented.
2. River water quality in terms of dissolved oxygen and nitrate. There are no rivers in Malta.
3. Concentration of faecal coliforms in freshwater- this parameter is reflected in the water
global quality index.
4. Public water supply and price – abstractions for public supply per capita and water prices
– this indicator is reflected in the ‘drinking water use efficiency’ and the ‘existence of
economic tools to recover the water cost in various sectors’ indicators.
5. Access to safe drinking water – indicator very similar to ‘share of distributed water not
conform to quality standards’ indicator.
6. ‘Nutrient (N+P) use (eutrophication equivalents)’ and ‘emissions of organic matter as
BOD’ – these indicators are covered by the water global quality index indicator.
7. Eutrophication – the parameters measured for this indicator, that is total nitrogen and total
phosphorus, are also measured in the ‘global quality of coastal waters’ indicator.
8. Density of solid waste disposed at sea. No solid waste is disposed at sea.
9. Maximum sustained yield for fisheries- this indicator is an expression of the state of the
fishery resource exploitation to its sustainable size. This indicator is only indirectly
relevant to seawater quality.
10. Population growth in coastal areas – indicator still under development.
11. Algae index- this index is still being developed by the UN.
This exercise led to the set of indicators listed in Table 2.
8
Planning Authority (1997) Sustainability Indicators for Malta - a proposal. Planning Authority,
Floriana
Fresh Water Indicators
Sea Water Indicators
Wastewater Indicators
Groundwater abstraction (P)
Eutrophication
(S)
Fishing pressure (P)
Water treated/water collected
(R)
Share of industrial waste water
treated on site (R)
Exploitation index of renewable
resources
Non-sustainable water production
index
Share of distributed water not
conform to quality standards
Water global quality index (S)
Existence of economic tools to
recover the water cost in various
sectors (R)
Drinking water use efficiency
Development along shore
(P)
Discharges of heavy metals
(S)
Oil pollution at coast and at
sea (S)
Global quality of coastal
waters (S)
Coastal waters quality in
some main “hot spots”
Domestic consumption of water per
capita (P)
Density of hydrological networks (R)
Table 2:
List of potential sustainability indicators for fresh/sea water quality and
wastewater for Malta
9
X
X
X
X
X
X
This indicator is defined as the proportion of drinking water distribution units, which fail, at least one
conformity to drinking water quality standards analysis per year as set by national legislation or by the
World Health Organisation (WHO). The EU drinking water Directive (80/778) also sets similar
parameters.
10
Water Services Corporation (2000) Draft Report on the Quality of Potable Water Supplied to
Consumers Through the Public Distribution System in the Maltese Islands. WSC, Luqa.
11
Freshwater quality
12
From Water Services Corporation (WSC)
Some data already
available
Data very costly
X
Data impossible to
compute
Groundwater abstraction (P)
Exploitation index of renewable resources
Non-sustainable water production index
Share of distributed water not conform to quality standards 9
Water global quality index (S)11
Existence of economic tools to recover the water cost in various
sectors (R)
Drinking water use efficiency
Data very difficult
to compute
Selection Criteria
Data somewhat
difficult to compute
Indicators
Data easily
computed
Fresh Water Indicators
These indicators were then assessed according to their ease or otherwise to compute in Malta,
to the cost of obtaining data and according to whether data was available locally. The results
are presented in table 3 below.
X
X
X
X10
X12
X
X
Wast
ewat
er
Indic
ators
Domestic consumption of water per capita (P)
Density of hydrological networks (R)
Fishing pressure (P)
Development along shore (P)
Discharges of heavy metals (S)
Oil pollution at coast and at sea (S)
Global quality of coastal waters (S)
Coastal waters quality in some main “hot spots” (S)
Water treated/water collected (R)16
Share of industrial waste water treated on site (R)
Table 3:
X13
X14
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X15
X
X
X
X
X
X
Classification of indicators according to ease of computation, data
availability and cost
Table 3 indicates that some data is available locally. With Malta’s bid to join the European
Union and adopt the EU’s legislation, including environmental legislation, the Government of
Malta is carrying out a major overhaul of local legislation. This necessitated the
commissioning of various studies, especially in the environment sector, to establish a
‘baseline’ of what exists in terms of legislation and to assess the status of the Maltese
environment. Of relevance to this paper are several initiatives concerning:
 The quality of groundwater
 The quality of the marine environment
 The setting up of sewage treatment plants to treat all sewage prior to discharging to the
marine environment.
Several documents have been prepared in this regard17.
This implies that information is becoming available from various Government Departments
and agencies. These include: Water Services Corporation; Environment Protection
Department and the Department of Public Health.
13
From Water Services Corporation (WSC)
From Water Services Corporation (WSC)
15
The Environment Protection Department and the Department of Public Health already carry out a
number of bacteriological and chemical tests on seawater.
16
To date there is only one wastewater treatment plant in operation, however since Malta intends to
join the EU and has stated that by 2005 no raw sewage will be discharged to the marine environment,
the indicator is still of relevance.
17
Axiak, V., Delia, C. (2000) Assessing the Impact of Compliance with CD 76/464/EEC and other
related Water Quality Directives with Reference to Marine Discharges in Malta. Ministry of the
Environment, Floriana.
EUROPA Research & Consultancy Services Ltd. (2000) The Impact of EU Accession of Water
Services Corporation. WSC, Luqa.
14
X
X
3.1 FINAL SET OF FRESHWATER INDICATORS
Indicator: Density of hydrological networks
Definition: The average area served by one hydrological station.
Comments: Data should be available from WSC.
Indicator: Domestic consumption of water per capita
Definition: This is the amount of water consumed per person.
Comments: This information is readily available from WSC.
Indicator: Existence of economic tools to recover the water cost in various sectors
Definition: This indicator gives information about the existence of economic instruments
(levies, taxes, duties, other) used to cover the cost of water (withdrawals, distribution,
sanitation) for users in various sectors.
Comments: Although the information may be available from the Water Services Corporation,
it might be commercially sensitive.
Indicator: Groundwater abstraction
Definition: The annual gross water abstraction from fresh water ground water resources for
different economic and human uses: public water supply, industry, agriculture, energy, etc.
Comments: This data is already available from WSC.
Indicator: Drinking water use efficiency
Definition: This is the proportion of drinking water produced and distributed that is paid for
by the user.
Comments: This information should be available from WSC however there may be an issue
of confidentiality.
Indicator: Exploitation index of renewable resources
Definition: This indicator measures the relative pressure of annual production on conventional
renewable freshwater resources. This indicator expresses the degree
The formula is P x 100
R
P: The sum of the volumes of annual conventional renewable natural freshwater production
for all uses including losses during conveyance, referring to a specific year
R: The volume of average annual flows of renewable natural water resources. Resources in
each country are defined by surface runoff and underground flows formed or entering the
territory, measured on a hydrological database, referring to a period long enough so that the
average value used can be considered as being stable and without double accounting for
surface and ground waters.
Comments: The indicator is already being computed for Malta.
Indicator: Non-sustainable water production index
Definition: This indicator expresses how much the country is depending on non-sustainable
water resources. It measures the proportion of the annual total volume of water withdrawals
(include transport losses) taken from aquifers or from water table overexploitation and
expressed as a percentage.
The formula is Vf
P
Vf :annual volumes taken from aquifers with non-renewable resources (fossil waters) or
arising from the overexploitation of water tables with renewable resources
P: the annual volume of waster withdrawals.
Comments: The indicator is already being computed for Malta.
Indicator: Share of distributed water not conform to quality standards
Definition: This indicator is defined as the proportion of drinking water distribution units,
which fail, at least one conformity to drinking water quality standards analysis per year as set
by national legislation or by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The EU drinking water
Directive (80/778) also sets similar parameters.
Comments: This requires that the water distributed is tested for bacteriological as well as
chemical parameters. Theoretically all the distributed water must be tested. Besides being
very costly this indicator is very difficult to compute.
Indicator: Water global quality index
Definition: This indicator involves surface and ground water. It is a very broad indicator that
leaves it up to each country to select the representative measuring stations in which the
parameters (physical, chemical and biological) will be monitored over time. The problem with
this indicator is what criteria to choose? What thresholds to establish?
Comments: Although many of the parameters required by this indicator are already tested for
but a setup needs to be built up to present he information as required by the indicator. This
data is not difficult to compute however it is very costly.
3.2 FINAL SET OF SEAWATER QUALITY INDICATORS
Indicator: Development along shore (P)
Definition: This indicator tracks increases in structural development in coastal zones. The unit
of measurement is percentage increase in structural hard surface in the coastal zone.
Comments: This should be an easy indicator to compute since the Planning Authority’s
Geographic Information System (GIS) contains all data relevant to development to land and at
sea. The coastal zone has also been defined.
Indicator: Oil pollution at coast and at sea (S)
Definition: The total accidental, licensed and illegal disposal of mineral oil to the coastal and
marine environment.
Comments: Oil pollution at sea essentially takes place in two ways, either as large quantities
during a short period owing to accidents or as small but continued amounts over a longer
period. This means that reliable data is difficult to compute.
Indicator: Global quality of coastal waters (S)
Definition: Each country selects representative measuring stations in which the parameters
(physical, chemical and biological) will be monitored over time.
Comments: Many of the parameters that are suggested to be tested for to assess the quality of
coastal waters are already being tested locally by various Government Department. The
infrastructure to carry out the tests is there, the issue would be financial since some tests are
quite costly.
Indicator: Coastal waters quality in some main “hot spots” (S)
Definition: This indicator requires that ‘hot spots’ (identified for some Mediterranean
countries, according to MAP) which relate to coastal towns and agglomerations having a large
number of inhabitants and the main industrial facilities that carry out direct discharge into the
marine environment.
Comments: Through several studies carried out on the quality of the marine environment in
Malta “hot spots” have already been identified. Furthermore the tests required are similar to
those required for the global quality of coastal waters indicator which are already being
carried out locally. Although costly, this indicator shouldn’t be very difficult to compute.
3.3 FINAL SET OF WASTEWATER INDICATORS
Indicator: Water treated/water collected (R)
Definition: This indicator attempts to evaluate the overall level of wastewater treatment using
a weighting system depending on the level of treatment.
Comments: This indicator may not be directly relevant now however given the Government’s
commitment to have treatment plants to treat all the country’s sewage before discharge into
the sea by 2005, this becomes relevant. The data should be readily available once the
treatment plants become operational.
Indicator: Share of industrial wastewater treated on site (R)
Definition: This is the proportion of wastewater produced by industry and receiving
autonomous treatment that is adequate to allow it to be discharged into the environment
without impacting human health or ecosystems.
Comments: This data should be available from the Drainage Department and perhaps the
Malta Development Corporation.
4.0 CONCLUSION
The indicators selected above are pressure, state and response indicators. Many of the
freshwater indicators are already computed in Malta, even though indirectly and for reasons
not directly related to sustainability but for health reasons, for example. The more ‘difficult’
indicators are those that require extensive testing of water quality. This is because a sampling
system needs to be set up and testing is very expensive especially when a large number of
samples is involved. The same holds for the seawater indicators. Seawater quality is already
being tested locally, however a proper system needs to be set up to provide the information
required by the indicator. With regards to wastewater treatment, although the data can be
computed at this stage, it is envisaged that the indicators will be more useful once all the
sewage treatment plants for Malta and Gozo are in place.
REFERENCES
Axiak, V., Delia, C. (2000) Assessing the Impact of Compliance with CD 76/464/EEC and
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