Water: An Essence, An Existence and An Essential
Water covers nearly ¾ of the planet and it seems that there’s a large amount but we must take into account that an estimate of 6,852,472,823people subsist in the world. When asked to describe water, answers like clear, gleaming, glistening, incandescent, luminous, glittering, radiant, lucent, and mystical emerge from the lips of inhabitants. An adjective that appears to be the most relevant is that water is limited.This substance is like an alley: a contracted path which encloses into an end. The result is a peaceful, verdant place but as you depart, an entirely different scene is illustrated. This system applies to water.
The world would be a desolate, motionless and unresponsive place without its existence. Man-kind would endure a great deal.
Water Storage in the MalteseIslands
Natural water resources are scarce in the Maltese islands because of geographic and climatic conditions.Maltahas neither any surface waters (rivers) nor any deep underground natural resources. Malta is amongst the first 10 top countries in global water scarcity. 50% of Malta’s water is obtained from rain water most of which seeps through the rock layers till it finds the Blue Clay layer (a non-porous layer) and here it forms the water table – which is a large natural underground water reservoir.From this water table, water is pumped by means of Pumping Stations and boreholes which are established all over the MalteseIsland. Despite costly expenses, these boreholes are being drilled through the Maltese rock and corrupting the area with wasted rock. Another problem which occurred is that many Maltese citizens have been implanting illegal boreholes, destroying the water table. When this difficulty arises, additional boreholes are positioned in other areas thus creating a large districtof damaged land. There are many other ways of how water can be safely preserved and not wasted.
Above ground reservoirs and soak pits
An above ground reservoir or soak pit is a square shaped objective which is constructed out of rock. It is generally used for the storage of water impelled from the aquifer, for the storage space of water from the sewage treatment plant,and for accumulating rainwater. These are kept in good stipulation because merely a small land area is required, they can be built and repaired with locally available materials, low capital and operating cost and they acquire simple technique for all users. It comprises a disadvantage since water loss from these reservoirs is mainly due to evaporation.
Dams
A dam is a barrier that impoundswater and is constructed from a variety of materials such as rock, wood, steel and concrete. It serves the primary purpose of retaining water, to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions and furthermore to collect water or for storage of water which can be evenly distributed between locations. Advantages of such structures are that they are better for irrigation, they improve water transport and they produce hydroelectric power for economic and industrial development. Although it assists in the reduction of water, it is very expensive, if it collapses great damage will occur and moreover the living environment of animals and fish will be destroyed in the lower course.
Historical Artifacts which symbolize Water Storage
Around the world there are many customsof water storage which have developed inevitably. But in all the console and extravagance of the modern world, what did our past generations perform to maintain rainwater?
Here in Malta an integer quantity of tanks and underground holes were established in such places like near the MnajdraTemple and Ħaġar QimTemple complex, Dingli Cliffs and St George’sBay.
The first settlers, who came by sea, must have stopped close to the shore and moved slowly inland to those parts where natural springs gave sufficient water for their use. Later on, the quality of our rocks taught these early inhabitants to excavate tanks and underground holes and to fill them with rainwater or food. The tanks or underground holes dug into the limestone are tentatively explained as storage tanks. All over the Maltese Islands one can find water storage tanks which can be traced back to Medieval, Roman, Punic and also Neolithic times.
Another attraction is that during the period of the Knights of St John, Birgu depended heavily on rainwater stored in tanks hewn from the stone under the houses and public areas. In this period one finds an increased emphasis on these storage water facilities and in a number amount of document surveys outlining the number and capacities of the various cisterns present in the fortifications and cities around the islands were carried out regularly. Grand Master Jean de la Vallette gave a great deal of importance to water storage and appointed a commission, to draw up regulations for the building of the new city houses that: “…every house should have an underground tank for the collection of rainwater, under the penalty of fifty scudi for failure to comply…”.
Also, under the British rule, a major infrastructure took place when the digging of a deep well close to Valletta took place. The protection of water quality was further regulated through the enhancement of new legislation. The Civil Code and the Code of Police Laws were introduced to regulate water resources. These provisions tried to adopt a system where natural water will be collected and not wasted.
Through the ages, Malta has augmented its water aptitude and made storage facilities enlarge. Recently, Malta approached a design to treat and recycle wastewater generated from hotels and to process it into potable water. The hydrologist, Marco Cremona is currently recycling sewage generated in the Radisson Golden Sands Hotel, Għajn Tuffieħa.
References
as accessed on the 12th of March 2011
as accessed on the 8th of March 2011
accessed on the 8th of March 2011
accessed on the 5th of March 2011